Sweet
by Molly Raesly
Summary: James is entering his seventh year at Hogwarts. He has it all-three best friends, amazing Quidditch abilities, top grades, and good looks. Naturally, all girls love him, well, almost. A story of jokes, inappropriate comments, and stupid boys who are sweet
1. Seventeen

Sweet  
By Molly Raesly

Seventeen

"James, I need to talk to you. It's urgent." James turned around and saw a beautiful redhead with the most intoxicating emerald eyes.

"Sure. Is in here okay?" James guided Lily into an empty classroom. "What's up Lily?"

"James, I have been doing some thinking, and I realize that you are the guy for me. I know that I haven't been the nicest to you in the past, but that was because I was scared. I mean you're perfect. You're smart, funny, talented, and really hot. I mean really, really, really hot. What were the chances that _the_ James Potter could actually like a pathetic nothing like me? I thought it was too good to be true. I called you names and turned you down. I was just trying to hide how vulnerable I was. Who can really be calm, cool, and collected when given the privilege of speaking to _the_ James Potter? Please make me the luckiest girl in the world and be my boyfriend."

"I suppose I can do that," James replied smirking.

"Oh James!" gasped she gasped before suddenly throwing her arms around James and kissing him. Lily was a very good kisser. She just kept kissing him and kissing him.

"James, Jaammmees," coaxed a voice from above.

"Oh, Lily," said James opening his eyes groggily.

"Happy birthday, mate!" exclaimed James's best friend Sirius Black.

"What?" James replied stupidly. He reached over and searched his nightstand blindly. After a few seconds, he found his wire-rimmed glasses and put them on. The first thing he saw was a view that most of the girls in Hogwarts would kill to see every morning. He was tall and very muscular, even though he hardly worked out. He had gray eyes that often twinkled mischievously. The most amazing thing about this person's appearance was his hair. It was long and dark, and it rested elegantly on his head. James had often tried to make his hair look like that, but his efforts failed. It seemed that no force or magic on the earth could make James Harold Potter's hair lie flat. This was not a problem, however, for James's best friend Sirius Black. Indeed, James and Sirius thought of each other as brothers. They would do anything for each other. Sirius came to live with the Potters over the summer and during breaks ever since fourth year. His family was full of dark wizards with high and mighty pureblood personas, and Sirius had had enough. The Potters, although they were also purebloods, accepted Sirius with open arms.

To the right of Sirius was James's other close friend Remus Lupin. Remus had shaggy, sandy blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He was also on the skinny side. Unfortunately, that was pretty much inescapable due to the fact that Remus was a werewolf. James liked to refer to it as Remus's "furry little problem" while in the presence of anyone besides the Marauders. However, unlike most wizards, the Marauders were not prejudiced against Remus for his monthly transformations. In fact, they rather liked it because it gave them something to do. Remus was the most responsible of the Marauders, and was even a prefect. 

Too often, Remus would spoil Sirius and James's fun because the prank was "too dangerous." Like that could ever happen! Nevertheless, he did give excellent advice on women. All of the quiet girls liked Remus because he had a sensitive side.

Peter was on the other side of Sirius. He was short and rather chubby, and he looked like rat even in his human state. He had mousy brown hair and shifty eyes. Peter was a follower and James knew it, but he was also his friend, so James was loyal to him. Remus and Peter came to the Potter Mansion just the day before to celebrate James's birthday. Fortunately, they would be staying for the rest of the summer holiday.

"It's August 4th, your birthday," answered Remus.

"Now Prongs, ol' buddy, did you have a good night's sleep?" questioned Sirius.

"I suppose so. Why?"

"Well," Sirius said grinning like a mad man. "I figured you were having a good dream since you kept snogging your pillow. Oh Lily!" Sirius moaned in a perfection imitation of James. James immediately turned a bright shade of red as Sirius, Lupin, and Peter all sniggered. After a while, James grinned back apologetically.

"Now, as it is my birthday," declared James, regaining his composure, "I believe presents are in order."

"Of course," replied Peter. "Right this way, Master Potter."

"Good man, Wormtail," said James. "I knew I always liked you."

"Well there had to be some reason," said Sirius grinning at his own wit. All four boys made their way through the Potter Mansion to the kitchen where Mr. and Mrs. Potter were waiting for them.

"Oh darling, can you believe it?" exclaimed Mrs. Potter. "Our little boy is finally of age!"

"I know Shannon," Mr. Potter reminisced. "It seems like just yesterday he was dancing around with his underwear on his head and singing into a hairbrush."

"Uh, that was yesterday," Sirius smirked.

"Oh shut up, Padfoot!" said James.

"I'm hungry," Peter announced. "Let's eat breakfast." Then everyone started getting plates, utensils, and glasses. Breakfast was truly scrumptious. Mrs. Potter, as she always did on James's birthday, made him sweets and desserts for breakfast. Soon everyone's stomachs were filled with chocolate frogs, treacle tarts, fudge, pie, and pumpkin pasties.

"Mum," said James, "that was delicious, as usual, but now I really want to open my presents."

"Of course, honey," said Mrs. Potter. She knew James had used up just about all of his self-control making it through breakfast without ripping open the large pile of presents that were egging him on from the kitchen table. "Here, open this one from your father and me."

James greedily tore the paper off of the indicated parcel and gasped. A large folded piece of shimmery—to the point of being transparent--material sat before him. "Wow, is this really a --"

"Yes," Mr. Potter answered. "It's an invisibility cloak. It's been past down for generations. I figured that since you are of age now, it should be yours. Besides, I think you will find that it will be useful in sneaking around at Hogwarts."

"Harold!" snapped Mrs. Potter. "Don't encourage him. We already get about a hundred owls a year."

"It's got to be more than that. Remember that prank week in fifth year?" Sirius's eyes glazed over in the memory of some of the best pranks Hogwarts has ever seen. "Anyway, that cloak will definitely be useful when Moony has that time of the month—"

"What he means is," explained Remus quickly. "The cloak is a very nice gift and will be used in the future." He then sighed in relief. Sirius had almost let the Marauder's secret slip. You see, the Potters knew that Remus was a werewolf. However, James had neglected to mention to his parents that Sirius, Peter, and he were three unregistered Animagi. Whoops!

"This is amazing," said James after a long awkward pause. He rushed over to the other side of the kitchen table and gave his parents a big hug. "I love it."

James continued opening his presents. Remus gave him a book about anger management, which he obviously thought would amuse James. Peter chose a more practical idea: a huge bag of Zonko's products. James also received various gifts from his relatives that he hardly ever saw. Finally, there was only one present remaining.

"Okay Prongsie," said Sirius smiling, yet again. "It's my turn. You see, I wanted to get you something extraordinary for your seventeenth birthday. I mean you are the last of the Marauders to come of age." The Marauders, except for James, leered at this. They often teased James for being the baby of the group. "I decided to get Evans to pop out of a cake for you."

"You what?" interrupted a shocked James.

"I know, I know," Sirius continued cheekily. "It would have been perfect. Too bad she said no when I showed her the costume I had picked out for her." Remus and Peter were positively howling at this point. "It's such a shame. She would have looked lovely in it. Ah well, I suppose this will have to do."

James began to tear the paper off more carefully this time. When enough paper had been removed, it was clear to see that Sirius had bought James a Nimbus 100.

"Whoa!"

* * *

_A/N: hi! i'm molly! it's nice to meet you all. i have already posted this story at hpff, but i thought it might be nice to expand my horizons a bit. i hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of sweet! oh, and please excuse any canon discrepancies. i started this story a few years ago (hence the poor quality of the first few chapters), and some marauder facts were unknown to us as i wrote this. thank you!!_


	2. Hogwarts Letters

Hogwarts Letters

The rest of the summer quickly faded away. The Marauders had a fantastic time eating, joking, playing Quidditch, and pulling pranks. Really there was no way not to have a good time at the Potter Mansion. It had seven floors. Most of the floors were used for guests or something for James's parents. They stored a lot of Auror top-secret things in the mansion. James wasn't allowed to go anywhere near it, and his parents (knowing James) made sure he couldn't magically. His favorite floor was the seventh floor. It was reserved for James's own personal use. That's where his and Sirius's rooms were and where his friends slept. It also contained rooms for storing Zonko's products and Quidditch supplies. Outside, the Potters had a swimming pool and their own Quidditch Pitch. About a week before the beginning of September, four distinguished and tawny owls arrived for the Marauders with yellow parchment and green writing.

"James!" Mrs. Potter screamed up the many flights of stairs.

"What?" James shouted back down to her.

"Your Hogwarts letters have arrived."

"Coming!"

The four boys rushed down six flights of stairs to the kitchen. On the last staircase, James slid down the railing and landed gracefully beside his mother.

"Here you are, boys." James picked up his letter, already knowing what it said.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. Term begins on September first. Please see the included parchment for your booklist.

Yours sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

James reached into the envelope again to fish out his booklist. Instead of his list, his hand was wrapped around another piece of parchment and a badge. It was gold and had the words 'Head Boy' engraved on it. James put the badge down on the countertop and quickly began reading the parchment that accompanied the badge.

_Dear Mr. Potter,  
Congratulations! I am pleased to inform you that you have been selected as Head Boy. This is quite an accomplishment, and you should be very proud. Head duties include patrolling the corridors, keeping an eye on first years, organizing Hogsmeade visits, leading the prefects, and planning any extra recreational activities. More information on these subjects will be placed in the Heads' compartment on the Hogwarts Express. You will also reside in the Heads' Dorm with the Head Girl. The password is for you two to decide. Again, congratulations!_

Yours sincerely,  
Albus Dumbledore  
Headmaster

P.S. Normally I do not divulge this information, but I thought yours was a special case. The Head Girl is Lily Evans. Have a wonderful rest of summer holiday!

"I'm Head Boy," James muttered to himself, still trying to absorb it all. "Why in the world would Dumbledore make me Head Boy? I wasn't even a prefect. Moony should get the badge. Wait a minute, who cares? Lily is Head Girl! This is amazing! It's wonderful! It's—"

"Hey, Prongs!" Sirius shouted. "What are you doing over there? What's that shiny thing?" Sirius moved over towards James and picked up the badge. Sirius was flabbergasted. "Head Boy! You, James Potter, a Marauder, made Head Boy! What is Dumbledore on? Did you spike his pumpkin juice at the end of sixth year? Why on earth are YOU Head Boy? Oh Sweet Merlin!! This means you are good and dependable and have re-re-reponsibilities. The Marauders will be no more. We're finished. No more pranks. You'll be too busy doing homework and patrolling and shining your badge and being nice to Slytherins because you have to. This is the worst thing that could have ever happened!"

Sirius's increasing loudness attracted Peter and Remus to see what was going on. Peter gasped and Remus amusedly watched Sirius continue to badger on about James's new position with extravagant hand motions.

"I honestly don't know, Padfoot," James interrupted exasperatedly. "I am just as surprised as you are. I guess he saw something in me that was, er, Head Boy-ish. Don't worry. I will never be nice to the greasy Slytherins. We will still be the Marauders. We can still pull pranks and sneak out of the castle. Think of it this way, now we can't get in trouble for it."

"James! You're Head Boy! How marvelous!" Sirius gave James a big hug.

"Yeah, nice going!" squeaked poor Peter.

"Congratulations, James!" said Remus still smiling at Sirius's sudden change of perspective.

"Thanks Moony. I really thought it was going to be you to get the badge." James looked much happier knowing that he had his friends' support.

Remus shrugged. "I didn't really want the badge, anyway. I have enough on my plate with Sarah, school, and my monthly transformations. I guess I'm sort of relieved."

"Think of all the things we could do with the Head Boy on our side!" Sirius's eyes gleamed with thoughts of misbehaving.

"More importantly, I'm going to be sleeping with Lily!" James did a sort of happy dance around the kitchen.

"Prongs, mate," Sirius said while putting his hands on James's shoulders to stop the dancing. "I don't think Evans is going to let you shag her just because you have a new shiny badge."

"No," James explained. "We will be sharing the Heads' Dorm. You see, Lily is Head Girl."

"Such a shame," Sirius replied looking sorrowful. "It was probably your only chance to get lucky."

"James, that is fantastic news," said Remus rolling his eyes. "Lily was an excellent prefect. She must be really pleased."

"Yep," said James grinning. "Lily is going to have the best year of her life hanging around me all term!"

"Jamesie," cooed Sirius sweetly, taking delight in using James's hated nickname. "I don't think Evans will go for you if you talk like that. As I recall, she thinks you're a bit conceited, mate."

"Right," said James, his head dropping. "Lily will probably cringe at the thought of spending so much time with 'a bullying toerag.'" James sighed. After a few moments of silence, he 

picked his head up, grinning from ear to ear. "Moony! Moony you can help me win Lily over. You know, show her that I'm _not_ an arrogant git. You can teach me how to talk to her and show her what I'm really like."

"What? An arrogant prick?" Sirius laughed at his own joke.

"No! The man of her dreams. Please, Moony!"

Remus looked at James. He seemed so needy and pathetic. Remus had no choice. "Okay, I'll do it."

_A/N: here's chapter two. hope you enjoyed it. personally, i'm looking forward to seeing what remus is gonna do! thanks for reading and please review!!_


	3. Lily Lessons

Lily Lessons

"Moony, for Merlin's sake, what are you doing?"

"I'm getting ready for our lesson, Prongs," Remus stated as if it was the simplest thing in the world to figure out.

"Why are you wearing a red wig?" James asked, nonplussed.

"I thought it would help you think of Lily. This way I can see how you usually behave around her."

James sighed. "Oh, okay. You had me worried for a second there. I thought I was going to have to tell Sarah that you swing both ways."

Remus laughed. He did look rather ridiculous wearing a t-shirt, baggy shorts, and a long, red wig. "Why don't we just get started? Talk to me like you would talk to Lily every day, and then we'll go from there."

"Gotcha," James replied. He took a deep breath and moved a step closer to Remus, trying to picture his beautiful Lily. He loved everything about her. She had the most gorgeous red hair and emerald green eyes that sparkled when she was happy. She had the perfect figure, too. She was slim and had curves in all the right places. He loved her smile. She never seemed to smile around James, but when he watched her--not stalked as Sirius accused him of-- her smile would make him feel so warm inside. She was the most beautiful girl in the world. "Hey, Evans!"

"Potter," Remus nodded his head curtly. He spoke in a high, girly voice. He sounded absolutely nothing like Lily.

"How are you doing this fine day?" James inquired while trying to hold back his laughter.

"Fine," Remus said sweetly.

"You are looking mighty fine to me," James replied and winked.

"Eww!" shrieked Remus. "First of all, please do not come on to me. It is disturbing. Secondly, stop using lame pick-up lines on Lily. You can't say something stupid like if I could rewrite the alphabet, I would put U and I together."

"Hey!" James interrupted. That's a good one. Now I must defend my title as the pick-up line master. Try this on for size. Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

"That was good, Prongs," Remus said, "but I can do better. Can I have a map, because I keep getting lost in your eyes."  


"Do you want to go get some pizza and snog? Hey! What's wrong with pizza?"

"Did the sun just come out, or was it you smiling?"

"I lost my address, can I have yours?" James said with a laugh and winked suggestively.

"Are you a magnet, because I sure feel attracted to you."

James grinned. "I play the field, and it looks like I just caught the snitch with you."

Remus racked his brain and came up with, "Do you have a mirror in your pocket, because I can see myself in your pants."

"Touché, my not-so-prude friend, but I am the master of all pick-up lines and you must bow down before me at this. If sexiness were a band, you would rock my world."

"That's all you've got?" Remus questioned. Listen to this. Are you tired, because you've been running through my mind all day long."

"Remus, my boy, always quit while you are ahead. It's a good thing we're in a library, because I'm checking you out."

"Ugh!" Remus said defeated. "Fine. You win. You are the pick-up line master."

"Thank you. Fear my skill!" James smirked.

"Ah, yes I forgot. In your sick mind, being good at insulting girls is a good thing." Remus ignored James's attempts to tell him off. "We should get back to the lesson. As I was saying, pick-up lines, although they are fun to think up, are totally useless around girls like Lily. She wants to be romanced. Let's give it another go. This time, don't address her by her surname. Lily is much more intimate."

"Er, alright then," James said a little taken aback. He really liked the idea of being 'more intimate' with Lily, but he was so used to calling her Evans. He figured it was something he could grow out of. "Hi, Lily."

"Hello, James," Remus responded while absentmindedly playing with his wig.

"How was your summer?"

"It was alright, and yours?"

"It was good. I spent most of it playing Quidditch. Too bad I'm going to be an auror. The English could really use an amazing chaser like me on their team."

"James," Remus said, shaking his head. "When will you learn? Lily likes modesty not arrogance. You can't tell her what a Quidditch prodigy you are. It will only make her angry."

"But she's so pretty when she gets angry. Her eyes shine even brighter, and her lips sort of curl. Plus sometimes when she yells at me she gets close enough that I can smell her hair. It smells like some flower, lavender, I think."

Remus coughed something that sounded a lot like 'stalker.'

"I am not," James argued. I just love to watch Lily. Every move she makes fascinates me."

"Wow," said Remus. "You must really like her."

"No," James replied. "I love her. Come on, Moony. You have to help me."

"Alright. Now when you see her for the first time on the train, she might be a little testy. Chances are good that she won't be very happy when she finds out your Head Boy. Be nice to her and explain how you were shocked too. Also, try not to curse any Slytherins while she's there."

"That's going to be tough, but she's worth it."

"Excellent. Make sure you keep the flattery to a minimum and be as chivalrous as humanly possible for you."

"Hey!" James pouted. "I resent that."

"I'm sure you do," Remus said, his eyes twinkling. "I'll start this time. Hi, James."

"Hey, Lily," James responded. "What's up?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just going to go finish my Astronomy homework."

James burst out laughing. Remus looked around confused. "What's so funny?"

"The sky is empty tonight, because all the stars are in your eyes."

Remus sighed. "This is going to take longer than I expected."

* * *

A/N: aren't pick-up lines just fantastic? please review!!


	4. Going Back

Going Back

"Prongs, it is six in the morning!" Sirius moaned.

"I realize that," James replied.

"Six o'clock in the morning!" Sirius said again.

"You already mentioned that," James answered.

"Don't be smart with me. It's six o'clock in the bloody morning! Why the hell am I, Sirius Black, the sexiest beast alive, up at six o'clock in the morning?"

"I am much hotter than you!" James argued.

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Remus!"

A very grumpy looking Remus walked into James's room. His hair was unusually messy and he was only wearing drawstring pants. His chest was covered with many scars of all different sizes. "What do you want?" Remus asked grouchily.

"Who is sexier, me or James?" Sirius asked him.

"You woke me up to ask me who I think is sexier? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I knew it," James said. "It was obviously me."

"I am definitely the best looking guy at Hogwarts," Sirius countered. "I mean look at me. I'm adorable. I have the perfect figure. I'm tall, but not a freak. I have gorgeous hair that girls just have to run their fingers through. My eyes create an amazing smoldering effect, and I have thick, pouty lips. Besides, my fan club is way bigger than yours."

"You forgot to mention that you use cherry-flavored lip balm on your 'thick, pouty lips.'" James snorted. "My devishly handsome good looks are superior to yours. Girls send me their knickers weekly."

Sirius pouted his extremely sexy lips. Girls were more into James, sometimes, because he only had eyes for Lily. He was like a challenge to them. He hadn't gone out with anyone for real since fourth year. Many girls had tried, and failed, to catch James's attention. Sirius, on the other hand, was much more accepting towards the female population. He had dozens of 

girlfriends a year. Although he enjoyed always having someone to snog, he wanted a real relationship, but he would never admit it. "Why the hell are we up at six o'clock in the morning?" Sirius asked, again.

"We gotta go Platform 9 ¾ today."

"Prongs," Sirius said. "The train doesn't leave till eleven."

"I know that, Padfoot, but I want to get there early."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with a rather attractive redhead, would it?" Sirius implied.

"I suppose she might be a small factor, yes," James replied, while examining his socks.

"She better be good in bed," Sirius muttered quietly, so no one could hear him.

"Just go get your fat ass ready," James ordered.

"I do not have a fat ass!" Sirius complained.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Remus!"

After several arguments, and remembering to wake up Peter, the boys and Mrs. Potter apparated to Kings' Cross.

"Now you boys be good. Have fun, but not too much fun. I don't want nineteen owls in one week again."

"That was such a good week," Sirius reminisced. "The Slytherins never knew what hit them. It took them weeks to turn Snivelly back to normal. He couldn't stop professing his love for us. I never knew there were so many romantic ballads out there." Sirius howled in laughter with the rest of the Marauders in remembrance of their sixth year.

"Remus," Mrs. Potter continued, despite the interruption. "Be careful. Enjoy this. Seventh year was the best year of my life. It was the year I started dating Mr. Potter. If you find the time, Remus, try to knock some sense into the rest."

"It's a never ending battle, Mrs. Potter," Remus smiled and received a hug from her.

She then gave Peter a big hug. "Have a great term, Peter! Don't let these two dunderheads 

give you a hard time."

"I resent that!" Sirius interrupted.

"No you don't," Remus corrected him. "You resemble it."

"Hey!"

Mrs. Potter laughed. "Good bye, Sirius." She gave him an affectionate hug and a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm going to miss you. I expect you over every Sunday for brunch."

"I can't say no to you, Mrs. Potter. Thanks for everything." Sirius said and added, "I've always known you like me better than James."

"She does not!" James insisted.

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed. "You caught me!" She laughed cheerfully at James's resentful face. "Good bye, James. Your father and I are so very proud of you. I love you." She gave him a hug and a kiss and emerged with tears in her eyes. "I guess you're all grown-up now. Have a fantastic term, boys!" With a faint pop, she disapparated.

"See ya, guys," James said. "I'm going to go find the Heads' compartment."

"I see how it is now," Sirius said. "You like Evans better than us."

"Sorry, Padfoot," James shrugged. "I would fancy you, but Lily looks much better in a skirt." James grinned and quickly sped off through the platform and onto the train.

"He's got it bad," Remus remarked.

"Yeah, he does," Sirius agreed. "Let's go, Moony, Wormtail. We have to hurry up and get a compartment. After all, we only have three hours until everyone shows up," he added sarcastically.

Meanwhile in the Heads' Compartment, James had already changed into his robes. He also pinned his Head Boy badge next to his silver Quidditch Captain one. He ruffled his hair, changed positions, and muttered to himself to past the time. At around 10:30, he heard the door open.

"P-P-Potter?"

* * *

A/N: somewhat of a cliff hanger here. thanks for reading. please please please with an edward on top review!!


	5. The Heads' Compartment

The Heads' Compartment

"P-P-Potter?"

Lily stood in the threshold of the compartment, rooted to the floor. Her beautiful face bore a look of total shock. She was unable to speak. James took the opportunity to look at her. Ordinarily, he was too busy listening to her yell at him to really look at her.

She, oddly enough, was already wearing her school robes. However, unlike most girls at Hogwarts, Lily was able to pull them off splendidly. Her gray skirt was a few inches above her knees, and it showed off her amazing legs. Her robes and her white blouse were always pressed and neat, but you could still make out her curvy, yet slender, figure. The uniform made her look very smart, but also gave her the sexy school girl vibe.

Lily's hair was a vibrant shade of red that suited her fiery personality perfectly. It reached far beyond her shoulders and curled at the bottom. It was shiny and well-kept. It also was naturally beautiful, and she didn't spend hours fixing her hair, unlike most girls with their straightening spells. She had a flawless, white complexion. James's favorite feature was Lily's eyes. They were just so green. He could spend hours staring into those sparkling, green, almond-shaped orbs. No other person had eyes as green as Lily's. She didn't wear that much make up, just a little mascara. James liked that. To James, Lily was perfect. He loved her so much, but not just for her looks. She was smart, funny, caring, and energetic. He wished Lily would smile more around him, though. She had such a beautiful smile. When she smiled, so did he.

While James marveled over Lily, she also examined him. She decided that he had grown even taller over the summer. He was now at least six foot and towered over her 5'5" frame. Lily could also not help but to notice his toned body. Years of Quidditch had done that boy some good. She could only imagine what muscles hid beneath his uniform.

Her eyes wandered up towards his face. He had a strong jaw and very plush lips. James also owned an irresistible smile. It could make even Lily's knees go weak. He wore round wire-rimmed glasses that made him look, if possible, even sexier. James had penetrating hazel eyes that shone with emotion. At the top of his head laid the mop. James's trademark was his naturally unruly hair. The pitch black tangled mess stuck up at all angles. Of course, it didn't help that he was constantly ruffling it. This annoyed Lily greatly. Although she would never admit, this gesture irked her so much because she secretly longed to run her fingers through his hair. She didn't know why, but she had the strange feeling that it would be very soft.

Unfortunately, James was well aware of how good looking he was. He also knew that he was clever and witty. He was conscious of his spectacular Quidditch abilities. Most of all, James was aware of the amount of girls who would love to go out with him. This led to Lily's dislike of James. However, she knew that deep, deep, deep down, James was a good guy, if only he would let on.

As she was swept up in her thoughts, James ruffled his hair nervously. It was definitely Potter.

"What do you think you're doing here, Potter?" Lily choked out.

"The same thing you're doing here, Evans," James said more warmly.

"This is the Heads' Compartment," she pointed out.

"I figured that out when I walked in. You see, it's written on the door in big, bold letters." James laughed.

"So you've finally learned how to read. Congratulations! I knew that someday something would penetrate that thick skull of yours," Lily teased.

"Haha, Evans," James said. "I happen to be one of the top students in our year. I believe I even beat out _the_ perfect Ms. Evans in both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration on our O.W.L.S."

"You're such an arrogant git, Potter! Always going on about how amazing you are! I can't stand the sight of you!" Lily yelled.

"That's strange," James smirked. "A few moments ago you seemed to be ogling me pretty heavily."

"I was not!" Lily protested.

"Yes you were! You were eyeing me like a piece of meat--a rather attractive piece of meat, I must say."

"Potter! You are such a conceited prat! I honestly don't know how someone can be so pig-headed, smug, and cocky at the same time."

"Now, Evans," James said. "That's no way to speak to the Head Boy."

"What?" Lily shrieked.

Then she saw it. Right above James's silver Quidditch badge was another golden one. How could she have missed it?  


"Oh Sweet Merlin! You can not be the Head Boy! This must be some sort of mistake. Dumbledore's obviously made an error. Wait, he's Dumbledore, he doesn't make mistakes. This was you. You did this somehow!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, Evans," James replied, "but I had nothing to do with this."

"Is it Remus's badge?" Lily questioned desperately. "Did you steal it from him?"

"I assure you, I am Head Boy!" James said exasperatedly.

"My life is over," Lily muttered while sinking into an over-stuffed armchair. "I was supposed to have a great seventh year. Now I have to spend it with you. This is the worst thing that could have ever happened."

"You know you want me, Evans," James said.

"In your dreams, Potter," Lily spat.

"Believe me, you are," James grinned and winked.

"Potter! I don't want to hear about you and any of your sick fantasies."

"Plenty of time for that later, Evans," James replied. "Right now we have a Prefects' meeting to get to."

He opened the door for Lily, who exited the compartment in a huff.

"I missed you, Lily," James whispered quietly at her back.

After reaching the Prefects' Compartment, Remus immediately approached James.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

James stole a quick glance at Lily. She was glaring murderously back at him.

"Pretty good."

* * *

A/N: sadly, to james, this encounter did go pretty well. haha. poor remus. you can try and try and try, but james will still screw it all up. thanks for reading. please review!!


	6. Compartments

Compartments

"Okay, everyone, let's begin the meeting, shall we? My name is Lily Evans, and I am the Head Girl this year. I expect that--"

"She means we expect," James cut her off, grinning. "Hello, my public. I am of course, James Potter. I am now also Head Boy in addition to being the lead marauder and Quidditch Captain of the non-defeated Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Several Gryffindors smirked at this statement. Everyone of the house loved the great parties thrown by the Marauders after Gryffindor victories. There were also multiple girls swooning over James and sighing at his every word. Remus shook his head incredulously at the stupidity of his friend. Lily, looking positively disgusted, began her speech one again.

"Now that we have met our 'oh-so-wonderful' Head Boy," she said giving James the evil eye, "it is time to start discussing your Prefect duties. As I'm sure you all know, Prefects are required to guide the first years to their dormitories and show them around the castle. A schedule will also be given to you which will state when, where, and with whom you need to patrol. Prefects are also responsible for enforcing discipline on the students. If I get even one word of anyone abusing their power, you will be severely punished." She paused and glared around the room with such a strictness that even McGonagall would be impressed. A few of the fifth year Prefects looked quite frightened by her. "We will have another meeting next Sunday to go over anything that still needs to be discussed. That is all for now."

The Prefects began to shuffle around and started packing up.

"Hold on a second," James ordered. The Prefects immediately ceased whatever they were doing and sat back down in their seats. "I believe that the lovely Miss Evans forgot something of immense importance."

"I did not forget anything, Potter, and don't call me lovely," she spat.

"But you did forget something, dearest," James claimed in a teasing manner.

"No, I certainly did not."

"Yes, you certainly did."

"I would know if I forgot to tell them something, Potter."

"So you obviously know that you forgot something," James replied.

"Stop acting like a bloody remembrall! I did not forget anything!"

"Are you sure that you told them everything they need to know?" James inquired.

"Yes," Lily replied hastily.

"Absolutely sure?"

"Yes," Lily said a bit slower this time and with an air of self-doubt.

"One-hundred percent positive, you would stake your life on it?" James asked.

"What did I ruddy forget, Potter?" Lily asked in frustration, throwing her hands up into the air.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure the meeting was indeed over. You see, I enjoy every last second I have the pleasure of standing in your presence. I suppose the meeting really is over. I know how disappointed you must be. It's been a whole summer since we have seen each other. You know, if you'd like, we could go find an empty corridor and get more acquainted," James added whilst winking at her.

"Potter," Lily yelled. "I will never, ever do anything like that with the likes of you!"

"Ah, but you will do it with someone else. What I would give to be him. Or maybe I don't have to. I don't think there really is someone else. There never was and there never will be. I'm him. I know you think I'm attractive. You were just ogling me a mere ten minutes ago."

"I was not," she replied defensively. "Looking at such an arrogant git makes me feel sick."

"You're singing an old tune, love," James said as he moved closer to her.

"Well, it must be true then," Lily insisted. "You are a big show-off who is too full of himself to notice anyone else."

"I notice you," James said, gazing into her eyes, which were now only inches away from his own.

"Well, I don't notice you," Lily stated.

"Oh, I think you do," James grinned. "I think you can't control yourself around me."

"I'm feeling just fine, Potter," Lily argued.

"Oh, really?" James asked with an arched eyebrow. He cupped her face in his hand. He could feel her tremble at his touch. "How about now?" he whispered into her ear.

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but she was interrupted by a cough. James removed his hand in surprise and turned his head.  


"Shall we leave you two alone then?" Remus asked amusedly.

"There's no need for that," Lily said purposely not looking at anything or anyone in particular. "The meeting is over. Thank you for coming, everyone. I'm sure we will have a productive year."

"What she said," James added.

"James! What were you doing back there?" Remus demanded.

"What?" James asked defensively.

"You were such an idiot. Did you forget EVERYTHING we worked on over the summer?"

"No. I remembered not to use any pick-up lines." James said, shuffling his feet.

"Oh, bravo, really top notch. You are such a dolt," Remus said and whacked him in the back of his head.

"I tried, Moony, I really did. She just, and I just, and then there was just—"

"I know, I know," Remus said sympathetically. "You become a moron around her."

"Exactly," James said. "She's so pretty, and her hair got longer. I love her hair. Did you know that it smells like—"

"Lavender. I know, James. You've told me at least a hundred times."

"Right," James replied. "Well, there isn't anything we can do about it now. Let's go find Padfoot."

James and Remus exited the Prefects' Compartment and went to the Marauders' usual compartment."

"So, Daniels." Sirius said. "Are you interested in changing your name to Black anytime in the near future?"

"I don't think Rory's that into you," James laughed.

Inside the compartment Sirius and Rory, or Aurora, were flirting with each other. Aurora Daniels was a bombshell. She had long wavy blonde hair and electric blue eyes. She was also a beater on the Quidditch team along with Sirius, who was almost her counter part. The 

pair were always shamelessly flirting, but they had never actually become a couple.

"Remmy-poo!" a girl squealed and jumped into Remus's arms and immediately started kissing him.

"I missed you too, Sassy," Remus said when they broke apart.

Sarah Bell had been Remus's girlfriend for a little over a year. She had brown eyes and brown hair to match. Unlike Rory's curvy figure, Sarah was frail, but nevertheless beautiful.

"It seems someone has yet to make an introduction," James pointed out.

"I think we have already painfully caught up, Potter," Lily said.

"Can I have a hug?" James asked as he ruffled his hair.

"No."

"Aww….come on, Evans. Give the boy a hug. He deserves it. He is the second hottest guy in Hogwarts." Sirius said.

"Oh really," Lily replied. "So you agree with me. Remus is the most attractive out of the Marauders."

"Hey!"

"Haha, she speaks the truth," Rory laughed.

"And to think I was going to ask you out, Rory," Sirius said.

"All in good time, Sirius," Rory replied suggestively.

"How was your summer together?" Sarah asked.

"It was good," Remus answered. "I missed you like crazy though."

"I know," she replied from Remus's lap. "It seems like forever since we were last together."

"Did you miss me too, Rory" Sirius asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she replied cheekily.

"Why are you being so quiet, Evans?" Sirius asked.

"I'm picturing how wonderful my life would be without Potter," Lily replied.

"Hey, Prongs!" Sirius called.

"Yeah?" James said.

"I don't think she's madly in love with you yet."

A/N: can't you just taste the tension? haha. thanks so much for reading. please, please, please review!!


	7. The Castle

The Castle

"Just what do you think you're doing, Potter?" Lily asked trying to push James's hand away from her own.

"Why, Miss Evans, don't you recognize a chivalrous act when you see one?" James questioned her in an uncharacteristically polite tone.

"Not when you are involved," Lily said.

"Funny. For your information, I am helping you out of the carriage. It's only proper for a gentleman to assist his lady down the stairs."

"I am not your lady," Lily rebuked. "I was forced to sit in this carriage with you by Rory and Sarah. If they weren't here, neither would I be."

"You sure know how to make a guy feel loved, Evans," James replied.

"Keep moving, Potter," Lily spat. She and James joined Sirius, Remus, Rory, Sarah, and Peter up the steps of the castle.

"The castle is just so beautiful," Lily said to no one in particular.

"Beautiful," James muttered under his breath, only he wasn't talking about the castle.

"I'm so hungry," Sirius whined.

"You're always hungry," Rory laughed.

"I know," Sirius said, "but I'm especially hungry right now."

"The loads of pumpkin pasties, licorice wands, Bertie Bott's, and chocolate frogs weren't enough for you?" Remus asked.

"Nope," Sirius answered, "but I bet you Rory could do something to satisfy me."  


"Just think of how horrible that would be for me though, Black," Rory replied, laughing and tossing her long blonde hair over her shoulder. Remus and James snickered.

"Tough luck, Sirius," Sarah laughed.

"Very funny, both of you," Sirius said. "Honestly, if you all weren't so hot, I don't think anyone would put up with you."

"Is that really the only things guys care about?" Sarah asked.

James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus all thought 'Yes!' in their heads.

"No," Remus answered her. "I would love you even if you looked like a hag." Then, seeing the expression on Sarah's face, he quickly added, "You don't though. You're beautiful."

"I love you too, Remmy-poo," Sarah smiled, and then wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him long and hard.

After about thirty seconds, Sirius coughed loudly to get their attention.

"Sorry," Sarah apologized with a shifty grin.

"Moony gets all the luck," James muttered under his breath.

The gang entered the Great Hall. The Marauders sat at their usual spot at the end of the last table. Sarah, Rory, and Lily, after a swift kick in the shin from Rory, followed them. Other Gryffindors also sat down and began buzzing over the start of the new term. They were soon silenced by Professor McGonagall entering with the very frightened looking First Years and the Sorting Hat. The hat began to sing something about unity. James didn't pay attention. Who wants to be friends with the slime ball Slytherins, anyway? Definitely not him. Besides, it was much more enjoyable to watch Lily. The way her eyes focused on the hat, and how she clapped politely for all the shrimpy First Years as they were sorted into their houses. Merlin, she's pretty.

"Prongs," Sirius whispered to James. "I know you think she's hot and all, but could you please at least attempt to keep some of the salvia in your mouth?"

James immediately brought his hand up to his mouth and wiped it with the back of his hand. The sorting ended with "Wells, Matthew" being sorted into Ravenclaw, and an old man with a long white beard stood up to speak.

"The most powerful way of speaking to others is through our actions. Therefore, tuck in!"

"Thank you!" Sirius shouted from the back of the room.

"You're most welcome, Mr. Black," Dumbledore replied.

The golden plates immediately appeared filled with roasted chicken, cranberries, porkchops, green beans, roast beast, carrots, ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, bread, and yams. Sirius piled everything onto his plate, even a strange yellow substance that no one could identify, and began eating. James, Remus, and Peter followed suit. The three open-mouthed girls watched them in disgust.

"Is eating so much food so quickly even humanly possible?" Sarah wondered aloud.

"It's like they never have to stop to breathe. They just keep shoveling it in," Rory added.

"As long as it keeps Potter quiet, I don't care," Lily stated and began eating herself.

After the last plate was clean, which was of course Sirius's, Dumbledore rose to speak again.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I trust you all have completely forgotten everything you learned last year. I have a few start of term notices to announce. Ms. Nightingale will be the new astronomy teacher seeing as Mr. Laurence has retired. Mr. Filch has also asked me to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is in fact, forbidden." His eyes twinkled in the direction of the Marauders. "Finally, I would like to please see the Head Boy and Girl for a few moments afterwards. Thank you. Good night, everyone. Pleasant dreams and soft beds await you."

"Let's go Potter," Lily said, sighing.

"Right behind you, Evans!"

The pair approached Dumbledore. "Excellent," he said. "Congratulations on becoming Head Boy and Head Girl. I'm sure you two will do great things together this year. I have some unexpected business to attend to, so I cannot, unfortunately, escort you two to your new 

dorms. However, knowing Mr. Potter's immense knowledge of the castle, I am sure you are in good hands, Ms. Evans. The Heads' Dorm is located by the Gryffindor Tower at the portrait of Violet. Have a terrific night!"

"You too, sir," James and Lily replied. They left Dumbledore and walked in an uncomfortable silence to the dorm.

"Err…." Lily said trying to break the silence between them. "What do you want the password to be?"

"Umm……" James replied thinking. "How about 'Lily going stag'?"

"What's so special about me being single?" she asked.

"Nothing," he answered her, grinning. "Nothing special at all."

A/N: hi, guys! thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed thus far. it means a lot, especially when i look at some of these cringe-worthy chapters i wrote over two years ago. (fyi, this story is already written.) please continue to review and to read!


	8. The First Patrol

The First Patrol

"You are so frustrating!" Lily spat.

"I didn't mean to!" James responded. "I had no idea! How was I supposed to know we shared a bathroom?"

"Even so, haven't you ever heard of a thing called knocking?" Or do you just barge in on everyone as soon as they finish their shower?"

"I'm sorry. It was a mistake, honestly. Besides, you are wearing a towel."

"A towel which I almost dropped in surprise thanks to your extreme stupidity."

"If only I could be so lucky," James grinned.

Lily scoffed and marched out of the bathroom into her new room. James noticed the lingering scent of lavender left behind by her presence. Her gorgeous hair looked so lovely dripping wet. Her skin was so smooth and perfect. Plus, the towel! He really wanted to see what was underneath it. James sighed and also exited the bathroom to go to his own room. He sat down on the red comforter of his king-sized bed. He ruffled his hair and stroked his temples with his fingers in an attempt to clear his head. He was soon interrupted by Lily calling him from the Common Room.

"Come on, Potter!" she yelled up the stairs. "We need to patrol."

James got up grudgingly, searched his room for the Marauders' Map, which he found at the very bottom of his trunk, and went downstairs to meet Lily. Her robes were on again, and her hair was dry and slightly curled.

"Where to?" James asked her.

"You will be patrolling the Great Hall through the Astronomy Tower. I'll take the dungeons and everything else."

"You mean we aren't patrolling together?" James inquired. He thought he was going to spend time with Lily. Plus, he didn't like the idea of her wandering Hogwarts alone in the dark. He especially didn't like the idea of her being alone with all the hormonal boys of Hogwarts, bedsides him, of course. There were far too many broom closets in Hogwarts for her to be alone without him.

"No, Potter. It will be much quicker and much less aggravating if we patrol separately. I'm sure you are devestated, but I have no doubt that you will get over it. I hardly think any students will be out tonight, seeing as term just started, but you never know. If you catch anyone deduct points from their house accordingly. I'll meet you back here in two hours."

As Lily exited the Common Room through the portrait hole, James called after her, "Be careful!" He wasn't sure if she had heard him, and if she had, she didn't reply.

James shrugged and followed suit. He began wandering through the empty corridors and found himself to be quickly bored by its monotony. He wasn't used to being alone. He always had either the Marauders or his fan club around him. He never had time to just think. He thought about his family, his friends, food, and Quidditch strategies. As he continued the perennial patrolling, he thought of his precious Lily, a subject that never lost its appeal in his opinion. He would give up anything he had just for her to give him one chance.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Lily thought about a certain dark-haired boy with glasses. He had gotten so handsome over the summer. Well, he had always had a fit body. No. Bad Lily. She couldn't figure out why she kept doing this all of a sudden. She loathed Potter with a passion. Were six years of being constantly asked out and harassed by him going to be suddenly forgotten because he had a sexy smile and a nice ass? No! He does not have a nice ass! Why was she even looking at his ass? Damn you, Potter! Lily desperately tried to think about all the other attractive boys in her year. There was Amos, Jesse, Ryan, Eric, Jared, Edward. Even Sirius was good-looking. Somehow, no matter how hard she tried, her mind kept coming back to James Bloody Potter. "Bugger," Lily sighed. She kept wandering the dungeons and began to feel quite anxious from the looming shadows created by the dungeon's immense darkness. Lily had never quite liked the Slytherin part of the castle, and she really wished the patrolling would be over faster.

"Well, if it isn't Potter's whore?"

Lily spun around immediately. She looked in disgust at Lucius Malfoy who stood before her. No one could mistake that long white blonde hair and smug, self-important smirk.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Lily asked trying to appear calm, even though, on the inside, she was beginning to panic. How could she have forgotten her wand? Of course, she had never needed it before now. She and Remus would always patrol together. Stupid Potter. If he hadn't barged in on her in the bathroom, she wouldn't have forgotten her wand. Also, if he wasn't a git, she would not be alone right now. With Malfoy. She would make it out okay. She just had to keep her temper and peacefully avoid any arguments. All she had to do was not call him a stuck-up git.

"I just wanted to see how the Mudblood is doing. I haven't seen you since last year. I would shake your hand, but I wouldn't want to catch your disease."

"That's good," Lily replied. "The idea of touching you makes me nauseous."

"Watch your mouth," Lucius said darkly. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Mudblood. We're all alone. There's no one here to save you. No Dumbledore. No professors. No Potter."

Lucius took out his wand and moved closer to Lily. She responded by backing up into the wall. Soon he had her shoved up against the wall in an extremely vulnerable position.

"Nowhere to run, Evans. Now what shall I do with you? So many possibilities. What would everyone say if they found the Head Girl dead on the floor? I wonder what your precious Potter would do. Come after me, I suppose. He's no threat to me, of course. Not when I have the Dark Lord by my side."

"Shut up, Malfoy," Lily spat. "Potter is twice the man you will ever be."

"So the Mudblood really does love the blood traitor. How poetic."

"I did not say that. I do not love Potter. I can't stand that prat. I don't love him. That's not even possible," Lily insisted.

"Could've fooled me. I wouldn't be surprised if you two were shagging in a broom closet earlier."

Lily slapped Malfoy across the face.  


"You bitch! I think I will leave that message for everyone. People need to learn that filthy Mudbloods like you do not deserve to be wizards."

"Of course. Why should I get to practice magic when selfish prats like you around around? I guess it doesn't matter that I have beaten you in every exam." Lily rebutted.

"You need to learn some respect for your superiors, Mudblood."

"You will never be better than me, Malfoy."

"I'm really going to enjoy torturing you." Malfoy laughed. He raised his wand and was about to hex her when—

"Leave her alone, Malfoy." Lily heard a man's voice command from her right. _"Expelliarmus!" _

Malfoy's wand entered the hand of James Potter. He walked up to Malfoy and punched him in the nose. Lily heard the bone crack, and she could see it bleeding. "Never go near her again." Lily had never seen James look so angry before. His face was deathly white, and he was positively shaking in rage. "If I ever see you even look at her again, I'll kill you." He was brief and to the point. He didn't want Lily to be mad at him for hexing a Slytherin, and he knew if he were to be in Malfoy's presence any longer, he would wring his next for touching _his_ Lily.

Lucius quickly grabbed his wand out of James's hand and sprinted out of the corridor, but as he ran away he shouted, "You and your Mudblood girlfriend will meet a sticky end Potter! Just you wait and see! The Dark Lord is rising, and soon you, your friends, your Mudblood, and all other muggle-loving fools will get what you deserve!"

James glared menacingly in his direction, but let it pass. He needed to take care of Lily.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, not knowing what else to say.

"I'm fine," she said, not sounding it. James examined her appearance. She looked ghostly pale and very frail. He had never seen her look vulnerable before. It made him want to torture Malfoy for doing this to her.

"He--he didn't do anything to you, right?" he said nervously. She was crouched down on the floor with her knees against her chest. He offered her his hand and pulled her up to her feet.

"No. Nothing. You stopped him. You were good to have come," Lily croaked. She had wanted to thank him, but she just couldn't.  


"No problem," James replied. He hesitantly put his hand on her back and guided her out of the dungeons. They walked in awkward silence towards the Heads' Dorm. When they arrived in the common room James said, "I guess after this little episode we have to patrol together." He ruffled his hair and grinned that cocky lopsided grin of his.

"Yeah……" she drifted off as she walked up the stairs and opened the door to her room.

"Bastard," James muttered under his breath.

A/N: poor lily. stupid lucius. but yay for james!! he is my hero (swoons). haha. thanks for reading! please use that nifty little lavender box to your left!


	9. Pick on the Hotness Day

Pick on the Hotness Day

"Mphhh," James muttered. He sighed and put his glasses on. With a lot of willpower, James swung his legs over to the side of his bed and stood up. Damn Lily Evans! Well, not really. She was the light of his life. The person he looked forward to seeing when he woke up. The one he most wanted to talk to. The person he thought about before he went to bed. The one he dreamed about. The person he wanted to grow old with. She was the girl he loved. Still, he needed his beauty sleep. Hogwarts' Number One Hottie could not show up to the first day of classes looking like crap. It was completely unacceptable. He needed to look sexy, like always.

Of course, he didn't get back to the Heads' Dorm until one o'clock in the morning. Then he spent the rest of the night awake worrying about her with some ways of murdering Lucius Malfoy thrown in the mix too. Ultimately, he had barely gotten two hours of sleep. He slowly trudged his way to the door, and without bothering to knock, swung open the bathroom door. Luckily, today Lily was no \where in sight. He locked the door, took off his pajamas and glasses, and stepped into the shower. The steaming hot water calmed him down and almost woke him up. After about ten minutes, he shut off the glorious water and wrapped a fluffy white towel around his waist.

Back in his room, James fastened his Head Boy and Quidditch Captain badges on his robes and tried to straighten them out. He attempted to make his hair lie flat, but it was a hopeless pursuit. He settled for fluffing it with his fingers giving it that --straight off my broomstick where I demonstrate my amazing Quidditch abilites that are so amazing that the quaffle gets confused as to why it is moving so fast and with such precision-- look. In other words, he styled his hair like he did every other day. After finishing his prepping, James grabbed his bag and went down to the Common Room.

"Oh," Lily said blushing. She got up from the comfortable armchair that she was sitting on and walked tentatively towards James. "Look, about last night. I just wanted to say--"

"You don't have to thank me," James said. "I love rescuing pretty girls, like you, from evil Slytherin scum."

"I wasn't going to say thank you," Lily lied. "Before you rudely interrupted me, I was going to say that I forgive for intruding on my patrol."

"Hold on a minute," James said in shock. "You forgive me? I didn't do anything wrong! If I remember correctly, Malfoy was getting ready to hex you into oblivion, before _I_ stopped that git. I saved you!"

"I'm not yours to save, Potter!" Lily shrieked.

"I get it. You don't want to be the damsel in distress to my knight in shining armor. Fine. I can deal with that. I just don't want you getting hurt. I couldn't live with myself if something bad happened to you, and there was even the slightest chance that I could have prevented it. So, like it or not, you and I are patrolling together from now on. It's non-negotiable." He crossed his arms over his very nicely toned chest, as if to say, 'It's my final decision.'  


"Fine," Lily replied acidly. Like he really cared about her. He was the cause of most of her pain. Didn't he know how much stress and anger he made her feel by constantly asking her out?

"Fine," James responded with as much coldness in his voice to match hers.

"Fine," Lily said once more before she hoofed out of the Common Room, her curls bobbing up and down as she stormed off. James sighed and waited a few minutes before following her out the portrait hole and walking down to the Great Hall himself.

James sat down next to Sirius, who was sitting next to Remus, who was sitting next to Peter, the way the Marauders had been sitting ever since First Year.

"You look like shit, Prongs," Sirius stated matter-of-factly.

"So do you, Padfoot. I must say, do I detect a gray hair?"

"No!" Sirius shrieked. "Not my gorgeous locks! Oh, Sweet Merlin!" Sirius frantically sifted through his thick, shiny hair in search of a gray strand. When he didn't find one, he scoffed, straightened out his robes, and turned to James.

"So…….What's with the I just drank 32 firewhiskey shots last night hangover's a bitch look you're sporting today for?"

"I had a late night last night," James replied.

"Doing what?" Sirius asked. "Or should I say, doing whom?"

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Padfoot. Never mind. Keep it there. You're more fun that way," James laughed. He proceeded to tell the Marauders about his late night activities with Lily. Oh right, Malfoy was there too. He also told them of his and Lily's 'lover spat' in the morning.

"Wow," Peter gushed. "That was so heroic, James."

"Thanks, Wormtail. Tell Lily that."

Peter got up and walked over towards Lily, Sarah, and Rory until Remus pulled him down by his robe. "He didn't mean literally, Wormtail."

"Oh," Peter realized.

"Mr. Potter."

James looked up. McGonagall stood over him with a rather large stack of parchment in her hands. "Here are you and your friends' class schedules."

"Thanks, Minnie," James replied while winking at her.

"It's Professor McGonagall, Potter. By the way, congratulations on becoming Head Boy. I am very proud of both you and Ms. Evans. I'm sure the two of you will do amazing things."

"In bed," Sirius coughed.

"What was that Mr. Black?" McGonagall demanded.

"I choked on my pumpkin juice, Minnie. Quite a shame, really. My, do you look marvelous today. You don't look a day older than seventeen. Too bad you and Dumbledore have that thing going on the side. I'm sure you are a firecracker in the sack. Maybe I'll get my chance eventually. By the way, are you using a new potion to put your hair into that lovely bun of yours?"

"I'll see you boys in Transfiguration," McGonagall said without bothering to answer Sirius's question. She turned and moved on to another part of the Gryffindor table.

"Brilliant, Padfoot," Remus said, half mockingly, half amused.

"I know, aren't I?" Sirius replied cheekily.

James, Peter, and Remus exchanged knowing glances and said at the same time, "NO!"

"What's our first class, Prongs?" Remus asked.

"You're gonna love this," James answered. "Double Potions."

"Oh joy," Remus said, his voice dripping in sarcasm.

The Marauders finished eating their mouth-watering breakfast of French toast, bacon, eggs, and sausage and began the long walk to the dungeons.

"Why do we even need to take this stupid class?" Sirius asked.

"In case we are poisoned and need to quickly brew up an antidote before we die a horrible and untimely death."

"Oh, right," Sirius said.

"You're much too sexy to die, Sirius," a girl's voice said. Rory and Sarah made their way over towards the Marauders along with Lily, who was staring determinedly in the distance, obviously still pissed at James for the argument that morning.

"Thank you, Rory," Sirius said. "At least someone around here comprehends my greatness."

"Great stupidity, you mean," Sarah pointed out, laughing.

"What is this? Pick on Hogwarts' Number One Hottie day?" Sirius asked, nonplussed.

"No, James said. "Just pick on Padfoot day. My day comes later this week."

"Remus is the hottest Marauder," Sarah said.

"Thanks honey," Remus said, bending down to give her a quick peck on the lips. He normally would have supplied a bit of tongue, but, hey, they were in class. He wasn't Sirius.

"Your vote doesn't count," Rory said. "You and Remus are dating and disgustingly in love."

"Well then your vote doesn't count either, Rory," James pointed out. "You and Padfoot are well, what are you?"

"Casual flirting buddies," Rory replied.

"Or casual shagging buddies," Sirius added.

Rory laughed, elbowed Sirius in the chest playfully, and whispered something in his ear.

"Okay. So we actually haven't shagged together," he said. "At least, not yet." He raised his eyebrows at her, but she just giggled and shook her head.

"Please sit down, class," Professor Slughorn said, interrupting them. "Your last year of school before you enter the real world has finally arrived. Today we will be brewing the Amortentia potion. Can anyone refresh us on what this particular potion is?" Ah yes." He pointed vaguely to the entire front row.

To no one's surprise, Lily answered, "Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It can be easily recognized by its mother-of-pearl sheen, the spiral steam emitted from it, and the scents given off that attract each person individually. For example I smell, why that's odd--" Lily frowned, but then continued. "Amortentia is a very dangerous potion. Although it does not produce true love, which is not technically recognized as being a real state of mind, infatuation is the result of drinking it, which is hazardous to both the drinker and the person who used the potion."

"Excellent, Miss Evans. I'm glad to see that at least one of you didn't spend their entire summer fooling around."

James chuckled quietly to himself. Only Slughorn could say something of a sexual nature and not even realize it.

"Okay, Seventh Years. Time to split you up. The partner I assign you will be the partner you will be working with for the rest of the year. I will be matching you up on your ability or whatever floats my boat."

James laughed again. The man was so funny, and he didn't even realize it.

"Let's see. Snape and Pettigrew, Malfoy and Ms. Black, Crabbe and Goyle, Diggory and McGibbins, Meadowes and Locust, O'Leary and Montez, Daniels and Bell." James watched as the two girls happily moved together and found a seat. "Black and Lupin." James watched longingly as Sirius and Remus found seats in the back of the room. He and Sirius always were partners together. Who could fill his shoes? He wore a 14 ½ mens'! Sirius was his best mate. Wait…..hang on.

"And that only leaves the two Heads, Potter and Evans."

Yes! James jumped up out of his seat and did a happy dance, in his head. He heard Lily mutter something incoherent under her breath as she grudgingly grabbed her books and sat down next to James. She sighed. "Some divine power really hates me."

"I'm very happy to be your partner, too, Evans," James replied.

"Go get the ingredients, Potter," Lily sighed.

"As you wish, my sweet," James obeyed.

He walked over to the store cupboard and found the ingredients. When he got back to the table, Lily had her cauldron set up and it was over a flame.

"So, love potion, huh?" James said.

"Yes. I'm surprised Slughorn's having us brew one. Amortentia is very dangerous when in the wrong hands," she said, quickly glancing at James's hands which were slowly creeping towards her own.

"Don't worry, Evans. I won't try anything."

"Good."

"Great."

"Fantastic."

"Splendid."

"You're weird."

"Why, thank you."

Lily and James bickered and talked about really nothing in particular as they brewed their potion. As it was nearly completed, James turned to Lily. He didn't know if it was just the fact that they were sitting so close together or if maybe it was because there was a love potion sitting right in front of him that made him ask, "Evans, will you go out with me?"

"I can't believe you, Potter! You never will change, will you? You can't even go one day without harassing me. 'Evans, go out with me! Will you go out with me? Have my babies, Evans! Snog me in a broomcloset, Evans!' Ugh! I've had enough!"  


"Evans, I'm sorry, I--"

"Leave me alone, Potter."

She grabbed her books and stormed out on him for the second time that day just as the bell rang.

Slughorn strolled over to James. "Very nice potion, Mr. Potter. You and Ms. Evans make a fine team."

James thanked him and smiled at the irony of that statement. He pulled himself together and started cleaning up. James leaned over the potion to vanish it, when he smelled a familiar scent. Lavender.

* * *

A/N: aww. james is cute. who do you think is hotter? remus? sirius? james? i'm pretty sure you guys have guessed my vote!


	10. Same, But Different

Same, But Different

"Ugh!" Lily groaned into Rory's pillow. "He makes me so mad!"

She punched her fist into the pillow and sighed. She missed sleeping in the Girls' Dorm with Sarah and Rory. They were her best friends, and she did everything with them. They would stay up late talking about which boy they thought had the fittest body (during which Rory would always say Sirius, Sarah would say Remus, and Lily would remain very quiet when a certain other Marauder was mentioned). They would also discuss school, food, shoes, clothes, their families, and pretty much everything else. Lily longed to return to the Seventh Year Girls' Dorm and be with her friends again. But no. She was now living with a boy. But not just any boy. James Bloody Potter.

"Who makes you so mad?" Sarah asked.

"Who else?" Rory answered her.

"Oh right," Sarah realized.

"Potter," they both muttered.

"What did the 'arrogant prick' do this time?" Rory asked, sighing at the amount of times they had had this conversation. Lily rolled onto her back, still lying on Rory's bed. She was silent for a few moments, trying to collect her thoughts. Sarah gazed at her curiously, while Rory merely looked amused.

"He…." Lily said, pausing for emphasis.

"He, what?" Sarah urged her.

"He asked me out. Again," Lily muttered.

"Wow! That's such a big deal!! Oh my god, Lily! Alert the media. I'll call up the _Daily Prophet;_ you inform _Witch's Weekly_. James Potter asked out Lily Evans! Just think. He's only done that about a million times before!" Rory said with sarcasm. "I thought you were going to tell us something worth discussing like when he turned your hair blue in third year."

Lily grimaced at the memory. She had to walk around with blue hair for a whole week before she found the countercharm. It was horrible. She was a redhead, and she knew that her hair pretty much clashed with everything. But blue hair! That was just mean. Blue hair didn't go with anything. "I know it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. It's just that, well…."

"Well, what?" Sarah asked, hoping that Lily would continue.

"Okay," Lily said. "Two days ago, Potter and I went on our first patrol together. Well, something unexpected happened."

"What? Did you guys snog each other senseless in a broom closet? Rory asked.

"No!" Lily said in a scandalized voice. "Eww….mental images. Merlin, Rory. My mind is permanently scarred." Lily shook her head to try and erase the terrible thoughts from her mind. "No. We were not snogging in a broom closet. We actually didn't even patrol together. I had us split up. Anyway, back to my point."

Lily told Rory and Sarah about the incident with Lucious Malfoy. The entire event from being accused of being Potter's girlfriend to being saved by him.

"Why didn't you just disarm Malfoy in the first place?" Sarah asked once Lily was finished.

"I didn't have my wand with me," Lily explained, running her fingers through her red locks.

"Why not?" Sarah asked.

"I was so frustrated after Potter walked in on me in the bathroom that I must have--"

"Wait!" Rory cut Lily off. "James did what?"

"He kinda walked in on me after I took a shower," Lily gulped.

"Did he see anything?" Rory asked excitedly

"Rory!" Sarah exclaimed.

"What?" she responded. "I wanna know."

"No he did not," Lily said firmly. "I had a towel on."

"Thank Merlin," Sarah sighed.

"Shame," Rory added.

"What?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Well, you've got a great body, Lily," Rory said. "I'm sure James would have greatly enjoyed seeing it," she added with a suggestive wink.

Lily smacked Rory in the head with her pillow in response.

"No! Not my hair!" Rory shrieked, her hands frantically trying to calm her blonde hair.

"Can we please get back to the point, guys?" Sarah interrupted.

"Right," Rory replied. "Guys are the point. They are just so yummy with their strong tendony hands, deep mysterious eyes, chiseled abs, firm jaws, soft hair, mischievous smirks, nice asses--"

Lily coughed, and Rory stopped talking. "Aurora!" Lily scolded.

"Sorry. I guess I got a bit carried away there," Rory said with shifty grin.

"Why are you mad at James?" a disgruntled Sarah asked.

"I suppose after he sort of rescued me, I thought something had changed between us, I mean. I guess that was very stupid of me. Nothing ever really changes with that boy. We've never had a steady, er, relationship, I guess, but I thought maybe something was different. He saved me. I actually thought that maybe there was a way we could get along for once. Then he had to go and screw it all up by turning all testosterony and asking me out again," Lily huffed.

"It's okay, hun," Sarah replied soothingly. "I know he can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

"A bit!" Rory snorted.

"Yes, a bit," Sarah continued. "But I think he genuinely likes you. Try to give him a chance to get on your good side. Don't snap at him for every little thing he does wrong. Give him a chance to explain first. Don't assume the worst of him all of the time. Don't snog other boys right in front of him just to irk him. You know how mad that makes him. Don't yell at him during every conversation. Don't mouth curse words at him during lessons. Don't punch him in the chest, stomach, nose, or groin. Don't slap him for staring at you. And above all, Lily, please stop not combing your hair, not putting on any make-up, or not wearing nice clothes just because you know he's going to be there. Let him show you what he's really like. I think he may just surprise you."

"All this lovely dovey crap is making me want to gag," Rory said.

"Lovely sentiment, Ror," Lily replied.

"Thanks, I know," she replied cheekily.

"Transfiguration starts in ten minutes," Sarah pointed out.

"I guess we better get going then," Rory sighed.

"Ugh!" James groaned into Sirius's pillow. "She makes me so mad!"

He punched his fist into the pillow and sighed. He had missed living with Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the Boys' Dorm. They were his best friends. They were the Marauders. No bond was quite as strong as theirs. They would spend all-nighters together talking about which girls had the biggest boobs or longest legs (Sirius had always longed for Rory and Remus only had eyes for Sarah. Peter liked this one pretty Hufflepuff Seventh Year girl. James, well, James liked Lily.) They would also discuss pranks, professors, girls, classes, animagi, girls, their monthly transformation activities, prank possibilities, girls, and why Severus Snape's underpants were that grayish color. James loved living with the Marauders. But now, he was living with a girl. But not just any girl. The lovely Lily Evans.

"Who makes you so mad?" Peter asked.

"Who else?" Remus answered him.

"Oh, yeah," Peter realized.

"Evans," Peter, Remus, and Sirius muttered simultaneously.

"What did the 'most beautiful girl in the whole world' do this time?" Sirius asked, sighing at the amount of times they had had to listen to James drone on for hours about Lily's innate Lilyness. James rolled onto his back, still lying on Sirius's bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments in order to figure out the best way to relay his feelings to his friends. Remus peered at him curiously, Peter watched worriedly, and Sirius looked like he was watching a good show and waiting for some popcorn.

"She…" James said, pausing.

"She, what?" Remus urged him to continue.

"She turned me down. Again," James said.

"Merlin! This is huge! Evans turned you down! I can't believe it! You asked out Lily Evans and she turned you down. I _never_ thought that would happen! I've only witnessed it about a million times," Sirius said.

"Would you like a towel to dry up some of the sarcasm still dripping on your chin, Padfoot?" Peter asked.

"Haha," Sirius laughed. "Nice one, Wormtail. Anyways, Prongs, why are you surprised? You ask Evans out, she's says no. It's been the routine since like First Year. It's clockwork. I thought you had done something good like when you dyed Evans hair blue in Third Year."

James grimaced at the memory. He had wanted to try to charm Lily's shirt to say 'Potter's Property,' but he had screwed it up, and instead, he had turned her hair blue. After a week of blue hair, Lily was pretty pissed off. In revenge, she dyed James's hair pink, and it stayed like that for a whole month. "I know it's not anything earth shattering. It's just that, well, it seems so stupid now….."

"What?" Peter asked.

"Two days ago, Lily and I went on our first patrol together. I've already told you what happened, for the most part, that is. I did leave something very important out."

"I hope you used protection," Sirius said.

"Padfoot!" Remus squealed in a very manly way, of course.

"No. We did not shag, Padfoot," James corrected him. "Ahh, mental images. That would have been so nice." James shook his head to try to erase the wonderful images that had blossomed in his mind. "Unfortunately, no, we did not shag. We actually didn't even patrol together. She didn't want to patrol with me!"

James reiterated the tale about the night with Lily and Malfoy and how he saved her from the slimy git to the Marauders, including the crucial facts he had left out from their brief previous discussion. Then he told them about the morning after, the saving not the shagging. There was no shagging, again, unfortunately.

"What I don't understand is why Lily didn't just disarm Malfoy in the first place," Remus said.

"She didn't have her wand with her," James answered him, ruffling his hair with his fingers.

"Why not?" Peter asked.

"I suppose she must have forgotten after I walked in on her in the bathroom--"

"You what?" Sirius cut him off.

"I accidentally walked in on her after she took a shower," James muttered.

"Did you see anything?" Sirius asked.

"Padfoot!" Remus yelled.

"What?" he replied indignantly. "I wanna know."

"No, I didn't," James said sadly. "She had a towel on. It was a pretty short one, though," he added with a grin.

"Shame," Sirius said.

"What?" Remus asked.

"Well, I'm sure James would have greatly enjoyed seeing Lily in the nude. She, I am sure, has a great body. Nice legs on that girl. If I wasn't into Rory, James might have some competition," Sirius said jokingly.

James whacked Sirius in the back of the head.

"No! Not my gorgeous hair!" Sirius shrieked, hurriedly trying to fix his hair with his fingers.

"You're such a girl, Padfoot," Peter said.

"I think you've been spending a bit too much time with Rory," James laughed. "She seems to be rubbing off on you. Next thing we know you'll be shaving your legs and painting your nails."

"I have no problem with the fact that I care about my hair. I am very secure in my masculinity," Sirius said.

"What masculinity?" James taunted him.

"You obviously wouldn't know, Prongs," Sirius said, laughing. "You see, to be masculine you have to have balls, and judging by the way Evans still refuses you, you seem to lack in that area."

James tackled Sirius to the ground in a playful manner.

"Guys!" Remus interrupted them. "Can we please get back to the point here!"

"Sorry," they muttered.

"Why are you mad at Evans, James?" Peter asked.

"I guess after I sort of rescued her, I thought something had changed between us. I guess that was just stupid of me. Nothing will ever change between us. We've never been exactly close, I guess. But I saved her. I thought maybe there was an opportunity for us to be at least friends. But then I had to go fuck it all up by asking her out again," James huffed.

"It's okay, Prongs," Remus replied soothingly. "It's not your fault that you can be a bit of an idiot sometimes."

"A bit!" Sirius laughed.

"I know you like Lily, James," Remus said. "Try to make her pay attention to your good side. If you always act so prickish and arrogant around her, you'll just annoy her. She likes guys who notice her, but don't try to show off to get her attention. Lay off Snape, always be on time for patrols, don't attempt any, er, funny business, try to be a good Head Boy, and just be nice to her. 

And above all, stop asking her out! Show her what you are really like. If you do that, there's no way she won't like you back."

"That was so sweet, Moony," Sirius said, and it seemed he actually meant it.

James coughed something that sounded extremely similar to 'pouf.'

"Transfiguration starts in ten minutes," Peter pointed out.

"Anybody up for a game of Exploding Snap?" Sirius asked.

"That was the longest waste of time ever!" Sirius whined.

"I know!" James agreed. "Who would have thought that Minnie could rattle on about the dangers of being an illegal animagi for a whole hour-and-a-half?"

"You two do realize that we were twenty-five minutes late for Professor McGonagall's lecture," Remus said.

"Ugh!" Sirius groaned. "Imagine if we had actually been on time for class."

"The horror!" James gasped.

"How tragic!" Peter concurred.

"Ah, yes," Remus replied sarcastically. "It would be a monstrosity if we actually showed up to classes when we were supposed to."

"Oh, Moony," James said, putting his arm around Remus's shoulder in a friendly manner. "The Marauders are never late. Everyone else simply needs to get a life."

"Couldn't have put it better myself, Prongs," Sirius added.

"Thank you, Monsieur Padfoot," James replied.

"You are quite welcome, Monsieur Prongs," Sirius responded.

"James, when are Quidditch tryouts?" Peter asked.

"I'm going to have them this Saturday," James answered.

"Can I come and watch?" Peter asked.

"I'd be happy to have you there, Wormtail," James replied. "Now, if you fine gentleman will excuse me. There is a flower over by the lake that is just ripe for picking up."

Remus slapped his hand over his forehead and tried to stop James as he strolled over towards Lily.

"You're looking lovely today, Head Girl," James said.

"And you're looking prickish today, Head Boy," Lily responded, not even bothering to look up from the book she was reading.

"Surely you don't mean that, Evans," James said.

"No. I think I do, Potter."

"Well then, give me a chance to prove you wrong," James replied. "How about you and me do something together Saturday night after Quidditch try-outs? You could wear something revealing and black, and I could pick you up around 7ish. We can go out, eat, and have a nice evening. What do you say, Evans?"

Lily slammed her book shut, not even bothering to mark the page she was on. She looked up and looked at James with her gorgeous green eyes. She didn't look mad, though. Her face was expressionless. He stared at her in shock as she approached him slowly, making him back up towards the edge of the lake in surprise. She leaned in towards him and whispered seductively in his ear, "Are you asking me out on a date, Potter?" Lily asked.

"Yes, I believe I am," James said.

"Right. Just checking," Lily said in her normal voice just before she pushed James into the lake.

He stayed under for a few seconds until his messy hair resurfaced. He watched her storm off back to the castle and shouted towards her retreating form, "I take it that's a 'no' then?"

* * *

A/N: here's where the story gets a little bit easier for to tolerate. i shudder less as i go back and read it from this point on! haha. i just want to say a quick thanks to JBayy, -pixidust-princess-, and GemTheWitch. thank you so much for reviewing my story! (everybody should take notice of their example--i'll get edward cullen to dazzle you!)


	11. Remedial Lessons

Remedial Lessons

"She wants me."

"Yeah, and I went to spend fifteen minutes with old Snivelly in a locked broom closet."

"She pushed you into a lake, mate," said Remus coolly, ignoring Sirius's comment.

"She just needed an outlet to release all of her pent-up sexual aggression she feels towards me," James responded smirking and messing up his hair.

"Sexual aggression, huh? So that's why a day after that she kicked you where the sun don't shine?"

"Hard, mind you," added Sirius from his bed in the boys' common room. The dorm had always been considered as the 'Marauder Bachelor Pad' where anything could go on from sex to drugs to drinking to pranking and back to sex again. (They had kicked out Ryan Fitzgerald and Elliot Saunders, the other two Gryffindor boys their age, and made them live with the younger boys ever since their second year.) Though, ever since James had left the room for the Heads' Dorm, there was a definite change in dynamic. Remus was only so much fun always rattling on about either schoolwork or Sarah, and Peter was barely around anymore. He kept saying that he was hungry and needed to visit the kitchens. Sirius didn't question this, however, because Wormtail was the happiest when he was eating. Nevertheless, it was good to have James back in the dorm. Or, at least, that's how Sirius felt about the subject. Head Boy? Honestly. "Lily may be skinny, but she can kick nearly as well as my dear old mum, and that's saying something."

"A blow to the family jewels isn't something to get too fussed about," James said, fighting the urge to wince. "Sure, it hurt like hell when the devil isn't getting any, but I'm not going to make a big deal about it."

"The family jewels?" asked Sirius mid-laugh. "What happened to Sergeant Potter?"

"I dunno," James said. "I thought it should be promoted, but Commander-in-Chief Potter is just too much of a mouthful. I needed something shorter."

"Well," Sirius snorted "The size of the name cannot be longer than the actual object that it is referring to."

"You two are so immature," Remus said, half exasperated, half amused. "Look, Prongs, it's not just this one event. In the past two weeks you and Lily have been fighting worse than ever."

"We have not!" disputed James.

"Let's take a looksy, shall we?" Sirius said. "There was the time last week when Evans told some random first year that you really wanted to take him on a romantic candlelight dinner in the Astronomy Tower."  


"HIM being the important word there," Remus added, sniggering.

"He actually showed up to my dormitory with flowers," James shivered. "I don't swing that way. There would be two things I would miss very much and one thing I would not like at all."

"You mean his family jewels?" Sirius mocked.

Remus sniggered. "And shortly after that, she put a potion in your shampoo to make your hair fall out."

"Thank Merlin my hair grows so freakishly fast," James said, fingering his locks.

"Then again," Sirius mused. "You kind of deserved it. Stealing her knickers and all."

"But they were black and lacy," James said, a glazed look over his face.

"Yes," Remus agreed, "but I don't think there is any amount of lace in the world that will make a girl fancy having her knickers displayed in the Great Hall's sky with the clouds around it forming the words, 'Evans go out with me and your knickers won't be in such a twist' for everyone to see."

"That was classic," Sirius sighed, reminiscing.

"That was also your doing," James said accusingly.

"It was still classic," said Sirius, unfazed.

"And then there were the other seventeen ways Lily has either physically, mentally, or publicly retaliated against you in the last two weeks. James, you've got to put a stop to this."

"She started it!" whined James.

"So?" Remus asked.

"Well, I think she should be the one to apologize. If she wasn't so damn stubborn, we could be going out by now and she wouldn't have pushed me into the lake and I would have left her knickers alone. Well, maybe. Besides, I don't have any clue how to fix us."

Remus ran a hand through his sandy brown hair in frustration. "Stop antagonizing the poor girl first of all. Try talking to her for real for once. Show her that the perverted, narcissistic, cocky act you put on when you're around her is only 75 true."

"Haha," James scoffed grumpily, folding his arms across his chest. Then, taking a deep breath and heaving his broad shoulders, he quietly voiced a fear that had a funny knack of entering his head during countless sleepless nights ever since his first year. "What if I show her what I'm really like and she still rejects me? I just don't think my heart can take that."

Remus slowly stood up, crossed the room to where James was sitting, and clapped his hand on James's shoulder, and said gently, "It's just a risk you'll have to take."

"Wow," murmured Sirius. "Maybe you really are a pouf, Prongs." At this, James whacked Sirius very hard in the head with a pillow.

"Okay," James muttered under his breath, "Here goes."

"Get out, Padfoot," Remus commanded.

"I don't want to," Sirius whined.

Remus casually scanned the Marauders' Map that was lying on a desk to the right of him. "Rory is sitting on a couch all alone in the common room," he said dully.

"Bye," Sirius said as he practically ran out of the dorm.

"So, James," Remus continued.

"So, Remus," James mocked him imitating the same professional voice as his friend.

"I think you are in desperate need of a long-overdue Lily Lesson."

"I think you are just looking for any excuse to put that red wig back on," James teased. Remus's ears turned very pink. "Honestly, I pity poor Sarah. If only she knew what twisted things go on inside your head."

"Yeah, well Sarah and I are kind of going through a rough patch right now," Remus admitted.

"What's wrong, Moony?" James asked concernedly.

"Just that. Moony. I haven't been able to tell Sarah that I'm a werewolf yet, and I know she knows that I'm hiding something from her."

"It's okay to tell her your secret, you know, Remus," James assured him.

"What if she doesn't want to be with me anymore? I can't lose Sarah. Not everybody can be as understanding as you, Peter, and Sirius," Remus replied weakly.

"It's just a risk you'll have to take," James said.

"Yeah, I suppose," Remus responded. "Anyways, where were we? Right. Lessons. Prongs, you need to realize that whatever your instincts tell you to do around Lily you should completely ignore and do the exact opposite."

"Cheers!" James laughed. "I dunno. I can't concentrate when I'm around Lily. My mind gets all fuzzy, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," Remus said. "When do you feel the most focused?"

"When I play Quidditch, I guess. But how's that supposed to be of any help?"

"Quidditch. That's brilliant. I can work with that. Just pretend talking to Lily is like trying to win a match. If a chaser tried to steal the quaffle from you what would you do?"

"Probably punch them in the nose," James said.

"Right, and if you apply that to the current situation, what would you do if Lily was showing signs of beginning a row with you?"

"You want me to punch her in the nose?" James asked, flabbergasted.

"No!" Remus assured him. "This is an analogy, James."

"Oh, okay," James said. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Try to avoid the yelling by switching to a different topic."

"Oh, that makes sense," James replied.

Remus sighed. "James, as long as you can keep your head, you will have no problem having a polite conversation with Lily. Now if you were trying to get the quaffle into the hoop, but……"

"Evans!" James called down the corridor after a particularly easy Transfiguration lesson concerning Animagi. "Hey, Evans! Wait up!"

"What do you want now, Potter?" Lily asked, disgruntled.

James took a deep breath and thought about making a sloth grip roll to avoid a bludger. "I just thought we should talk."

"About what?" Lily snapped.

"I know you've been really annoyed at me recently."

"Did an actual thought pass through your brain, Potter, or did you have to get Remus to spell it out for you?"

"I realized it by myself, thanks,"James lied. "Look, Evans, I think we need to stop whatever kind of weird relationship we have. I think the only way to get through this year alive is to start over completely. Pretend we never met and none of the crap between us ever happened. A fresh start. What do you say, Evans?"

"And what makes you so thick that you would actually believe I would want to make amends with you, Potter?"

"I'm not sure," James said truthfully. "I'm just hoping." And then, mustering up all the courage he had, he thrust out his hand firmly and said, "James Potter."

Lily stood there in the middle of the corridor staring at his and hand and then up at James's 

face. He looked so pathetic. She could see in his eyes how much he wanted her to accept his proposal. Finally, when James was just about to give up and walk away, she stuck out her hand to shake his and said, "Lily Evans."

"Nice to meet you, Lily," James said politely.

Lily looked shocked at his use of her first name, but quickly recovered and replied, "And me as well, James."

His heart skipped a beat. He could not remember the last time she had addressed him as James. Maybe, just maybe, mind you, Moony knew what he was talking about after all. "So, Lily, did you know that you should never hit a guy with glasses?"

"Yeah, and why's that?" she asked.

"Because it's much more productive to use your fist."

Lily chuckled. "That joke is rubbish."

"Yes," James agreed, "But you still laughed."

"Yeah," Lily said, looking at James. "I suppose I did."

* * *

A/N: james and lily are finally making headway! (sorry, i'm immature and find this funny.) please review! please?


	12. Halloween

Halloween

"What is it you wanted to tell me, Remus?" Sarah asked, turning slightly to her left so she could see his face from where she was sitting in the grass.

"Well, um, you see," Remus sputtered, looking suddenly very nervous, "I'm not exactly what you would call a normal bloke."

"Of course you aren't," Sarah gushed as she played with a strand of his hair, "You're so much more than that. You're smart and witty and kind and handsome, and I love you so much for it, Remus."

"Thank you," Remus said, going slightly pink. "And you know I feel the same way about you, but--"

"But what?" Sarah asked, her brown eyes wide and inquisitive.

"But nothing," Remus sighed. He loathed himself at that moment. He was being such a…….coward. He couldn't even tell the girl he loved who, what, he really was.

"Oh, okay," said Sarah. "I'll see you later, Remus, I've got to get going to Muggle Studies." And then, after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, she got up and walked towards the castle. Remus frowned slightly as he watched the way her hips swayed back and forth, mesmerized by her movement.

"Tomorrow," he murmured under his breath, "I'll tell her tomorrow."

"So you chickened out?" Peter asked Remus during a particularly boring lesson History of Magic. The Marauders had all decided to take the class in both their sixth and seventh years ,even though it wasn't a required course for any of their future career endeavors. In truth, it was an hour period when they could sleep, talk, or finish homework for other classes. Nevertheless, it was an excellent time for Marauder togetherness. They were big advocates for male bonding--just as long as the Hogwart's population was perfectly clear that they were not poufs.

"Yes," Remus admitted grumpily.

"It's understandable, Moony," James said, "you shouldn't beat yourself up too much."

"Yeah, I guess," said Remus, who was fidgeting with his quill in a frustrated sort of way. "It's just that every second I spend with Sarah, I feel like I'm hurting her. Like my just being with her is going to end up causing her pain, and I can't stand it. Let's face it. No one wants to date a werewolf."

"That's not true," Sirius said.

"Really?" Remus asked, desperately trying to not get his hopes up.

"Course," replied Sirius. "If I knew some hot girl who just happened to be a werewolf, I'd still date her. I'd shag her 29 days out of the month, and then on the remaining day, I'd hang out with you guys."

Peter, James, and Sirius laughed loudly at this. Professor Binns turned around from where he was monotonously rambling on about yet another incredibly dull goblin war and told them to settle down, addressing them by the wrong names, of course.

"Bloody ghost," Peter murmured under his breath.

"What do you guys think I should do?" Remus asked quietly as he eyed Professor Binns wearily. "I mean tomorrow's Halloween. What do I say? 'Happy Halloween, Sarah, and oh right, by the way, me, your boyfriend for over a year, yeah me, I'm a werewolf,'" he added sarcastically.

"That adds a whole new meaning to 'Trick or Treat,'" Sirius laughed.

"Moony, mate," James responded. "Your furry little problem is a minor setback, yes, but only a minor one. Sure it might take Sarah some time to get used to it, but I'm sure you guys will make it through. Honestly, anyone who spends five minutes with you two knows that you were meant for each other."

"Thanks, James," Remus said, a smile forming on his lips for the first time that lesson.

"Not a problem."

"Just think," Peter said wittily. "All this trouble over one stupid bunny."

"Yeah," Sirius barked as he thumped Peter on the back proudly. "Wormtail here's got a point. Couldn't you have just bought an owl like all the other little boys and girls?"

And once again, the Marauders erupted into fits of laughter.

The next day, James woke up, reached for his glasses, and gingerly got out of bed. After her remembered what the day was, he immediately became excited. Halloween was easily his favorite holiday. What was not to love? It had everything: sweets, a spectacular feast, and the perfect excuse for causing a bit of mayhem. Ah, Halloween. James got dressed into his robes with unusual enthusiasm, made sure his hair looked perfectly windswept, and then grabbed his wand and the Marauder's Map before exiting the Heads' Dorm through the Portrait Hole to meet up with the rest of the Marauder for breakfast.

"It's been a pretty interesting day, huh?" Sirius said.

"Yeah," Peter replied. "Interesting just about covers it. Wow. I never thought I'd live to see the day when any army of soap and bubbles would chase old Snivellus down a corridor."

"I particularly enjoyed the mass of shampoo bottles shrieking 'wash your hair, you slimy git,'" Remus said, failing miserably to suppress a grin.

"Ah," James said. "That and the bath tub that clunked him on the head when he reached the end of the corridor. The perfect Halloween prank. Lads, we have truly outdone ourselves this year. Just thank Merlin Lily wasn't there to see it."

"Lily?" Sirius asked. "Since when did you start calling Evans 'Lily?'"

"I dunno," James said, "I guess I couldn't have called her by her surname forever, Padfoot."

"Or did you think her first name really was Evans?" Remus mocked him.

"Well," huffed Sirius. "Maybe for a brief stint when we were younger, but I figured out her name was Lily eventually."

"Yeah," Peter scoffed. "In third year." And with that, the Marauders did what they did best, howled in laughter.

"Mr. Potter," a voice interrupted their laughter.

James jerked his head in the direction of the voice and saw a somewhat frazzled-looking McGonagall with her arms folded across her chest and her lips looking extremely thin -- a sure sign that she was not one to be crossed, er, at least not at the moment.  


"Yes, Professor," he answered her.

"Please accompany me to the Great Hall."

"She hasn't figured out how to get there herself. Honestly, she's been teaching here for years!" Peter joked under his breath so that she couldn't hear him.

"But, Professor," James protested. "I've still got Charms left."

"Mr. Lupin," she said looking at Remus, whom it seemed she deemed to be the most trustworthy out of the group. "Please inform Professor Flitwick that I have excused Mr. Potter from today's lesson."

"Sure thing, Professor," Remus said, despite the confused look befalling his face.

"Come along then, Potter," McGonagall ordered as she half-dragged James down the corridor.

"Happy Halloween, Minnie!"

She didn't even turn around to see who it was, but James deduced judging by the very slight makings of a blush creeping upon her face, she knew it had been Sirius.

"Smooth," James muttered so she couldn't hear him.

"Ah, Miss Evans, you're already here. Excellent," Professor McGonagall stated.

"Yes," said Lily. "I got your message from Madame Pince. But Professor, what has happened to the Great Hall?"

James looked up from Lily, who had been wearing only her blouse and skirt without her usual black robes on top, most likely because she had been working on the newly assigned essay they had been assigned by Slughorn the day before on the effects of Felix Felicis. Who would spend break time in the library? Ugh, and on Halloween, too. Behind Lily was the Great Hall, except it wasn't. The Great Hall was a complete and utter mess. The four long house tables were knocked over and the floors were covered completely in a very thick 

coat of mud. Plus, the usual banners had all been ripped to shreds, and the enormous pumpkins that Hagrid had spent months growing were smashed and their guts where splattered around the room. "Blimey," James murmured.

"Peeves," McGonagall barked coldly. "He wreaked havoc all over the Great Hall because the ghosts decided that because of his poor behavior over the summer he would not be allowed to attend the feast tonight. Obviously, he took this news badly and decided to retaliate by turning the Great Hall into a pig's sty. Unfortunately, he also attacked the kitchens, so the house-elves have enough on their hands with trying to salvage tonight's feast without the added burden of cleaning up the Great Hall."

"That's horrible, Professor," Lily said. "But what does it have to do with us?"

"I thought it to be quite obvious, Miss Evans," she said briskly. "I need you and Mr. Potter to clean up this mess. As Head Boy and Girl it is your responsibility to assist the school in any way possible and now is the time for both of you to do so. I assume I can count on the both of you to do this?" The look in her eyes told James that this was more of a statement than a question.

"Of course, Professor," said Lily, but James merely nodded.

"Right, now I need to be going, I have a Transfiguration lesson in nearly ten minutes." James watched her stride out of the door and out of sight.

"So," Lily said with a hint of discomfort about being alone with James. They hadn't really talked since their decision to start their 'relationship' anew. In fact, they hadn't even been alone together since then.

"So," James answered her, doing a much better job of hiding his uneasiness.

"I guess we should get started."

"Sounds like a plan."

They were able to get the tables back into their proper positions quite easily with a simple levitation charm. Lily, who was extremely good at Charms, was able to reform Hagrid's smashed pumpkins with some very complex wandwork.

"Brilliant," James complimented her.

"Thanks," Lily said as her face turned visibly redder. "And you as well," she said glancing at the banners James had managed to restore to their normal appearance. "I guess now the only thing left to do is get started on the floors."

"Right," James agreed. He raised his wand and said, "Aguamenti!"

"Such a shame Peeves had to go and do this, especially on Halloween."

"Yeah," James said. "'Especially on Halloween' is right. Say, Lily, I know it's a long shot, but do you happen to remember what happened on Halloween six years ago?"

"How could I forget? It was the first of many more times to come."

"Yeah," James said. "But that firsttime was of particular importance."

"Scared because you thought I would say no?" she asked grinning, as if she was trying to silently tell him it was okay for him to joke with her.

"Nah," James admitted. "I was bloody petrified. I had never asked out a girl before."

"Never?" she asked in surprise.

"Nope. You were the first," James replied. "Sirius kept giving me all of this advice that completely contradicted with what Remus was telling me to do. Kind of like nowadays, actually." He paused as he chuckled to himself. "Do you remember how I asked you?"

"Yep. It was right over there," Lily said, pointing over towards the Gryffindor table. "You came up to me at breakfast and said, 'Lily Divine.'"

"'Please be mine,'" James finished for her.

"The worst line I had ever heard," she giggled.

"It rhymed, didn't it? Plus, I said 'please' at least. Besides, I was only eleven. Completely inexperienced. Well, not completely."

"Haha," Lily said in a mock laugh. "I remember being so shocked when you asked me. I mean, I was just getting used to being a witch, never mind dealing with boys."

"Yeah," James drifted off thinking about how heartbroken he was that day.

"So anyways," Lily said. "Happy Anniversary!" And with that, she turned her wand, which had been shooting the floor with water onto James. He looked down at his wet shirt.

"This means war, Evans."

"Bring it on, Potter," she laughed.

After about an hour of laughing, joking, and a magnificent water war, they had managed to, not only clean the entire Great Hall, but also to get themselves dripping wet. Ah, Lily looked pretty when she was wet.

"Merlin," Lily said. "I don't think I've been this drenched in years. Damn, white blouse," she added looking down. "They should really change the uniforms."

"Here," James said as he took off his black robes and offered them to her.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a rare smile.

"No problem," James said, shrugging.

Later that night, Lily, absolutely full from another fantastic Hogwarts' feast, retreated to her room. She gently took off the robes James had so chivalrously offered her earlier. She tried to convince herself that the reason that she hadn't taken them off before then was because she simply didn't have time to walk down to the Heads' Dorm before the feast so she could change. However, in the back of her brain she was guiltily aware that she had probably kept them on because they contained the musty wonderful smell that was James. She smiled slightly as she remembered probably their first and only time spent together that hadn't resulted in a shouting match. Lily placed the robes onto her chair, but as she did so, she noticed a spare piece of parchment fall out of one of the pockets and onto the floor. Temporarily forgetting her exhaustion, Lily bent over to pick it up. She was going to toss it aside after a few moments, but she suddenly noticed ink slowly being written across the page. Lily gasped and read:

_Mr. Moony presents his compliments to Miss Evans, and adds that he always thought she was rather intelligent. __Mr. Prongs agrees wholeheartedly with Mr. Moony, and wonders whether or not Miss Evans would like to accompany him on a date sometime. __Mr. Padfoot would like to register that he always knew what Miss Evans first name was. Always. __Mr. Wormtail bids Miss Evans goodnight and advises her to return this where she found it. _

"What is this?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the castle, Remus and Sarah were in the midst of a conversation facing the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Remus, I know you want to tell me something why can't you just say it?" Sarah asked in frustration. "Do you know how hard it's been on me these past weeks watching you avoid me? I know you're hiding something from me. I can see it in your eyes even though they are never looking back at mine. Why? Don't you trust me?"

"Sarah," Remus pleaded. "It's not that. It really isn't. I never meant to hurt you. That's the last thing on my mind. It's just that I'm afraid if I tell you, tell you what's really going on, well, I'm afraid that you won't want to be with me."

"Remus John Lupin," Sarah said firmly. "There is not a single thing in the world you could possibly say that would make me not want to be with you."

"I'm not so sure," Remus said slowly.

"Try me."

Remus looked up into Sarah's big brown eyes, and summoning up every ounce of courage he possessed and said, "Sarah, I'm a werewolf."

* * *

A/N: ouch, that's a cliffhanger. oh, dear. how malicious of me. fortunately, this story is written so you guys don't have to wait as long as all the poor souls did over at hpff. (check out sweet there. penname is the same.) thank you for reading! please, please, please review!! oh, and don't you wish the marauder scene was longer? or are you still just holding out to name your son or daughter elvendork?


	13. Quidditch, Hogsmeade, and Shared Secrets

_Previously on _Sweet_: __"Remus looked up into Sarah's big brown eyes, and summoning up every ounce of courage he possessed and said, 'Sarah, I'm a werewolf.'" _

**Of Quidditch, Hogsmeade, and Shared Secrets**

"You're a what?"

"I'm a werewolf," Remus repeated for her as calmly as he could muster.

"No," Sarah said firmly. "No way. I mean, Remus, there is absolutely no way that you could be a werewolf."

"I can assure you that I am," Remus said, trying to camouflage how hurt he was by her disbelief.

"No. You're not. This is just some sort of silly little Halloween prank that you and the rest of the Marauders thought up," Sarah said as she got up and out of her armchair and started pacing around the deserted common room. She was determined not to look at Remus because if she did, she knew it would contain, not a laughing expression, but a dead serious one, and she could not accept that. "I mean you can't be a werewolf. You just can't be!" She started biting her nails, a nervous habit that she had developed as a little girl.

"Sarah!" exclaimed Remus as he took her hands in his own. He was frustrated that she didn't believe him, angry that he was forced to explain this to her in the first place, and a little overjoyed that she hadn't ran out of the common room screaming. "Look at the signs! My boggart is a full moon! I have an unnatural liking for undercooked meat! I get all skinny and sick! I disappear one night every day of the month, damn it! My ruddy nickname is Moony! Don't you get it? I'm a werewolf!" he bellowed.

Sarah's eyes were wide with shock and fright. Blurred images were rushing through her mind of all the horrible excuses Remus had made once a month. His mother was ill, his father needed him back at home to feed the chickens, he lost his wig. How had she been so stupid to miss the fact that these events always took place on the night of the full moon? James's voice filled her head with 'Remus's furry little problem'. It all fit. All of it. "You really are a werewolf then, Remus?" she asked him in a small voice.

"Yes, Sarah," Remus said, his voice returning to its soothing tone and quiet volume. "I really am a werewolf."

"And you really do love me?" she asked looking into his light blue eyes.

"More than anything," Remus said, returning her piercing gaze.

"And being a were—a werewolf," she stuttered at the word. "It doesn't change how you feel about me, right?" she asked.

"No," Remus replied firmly. "Not in the slightest."

"And it won't change us being together?"

"Not if you don't want it to."

"Then," Sarah concluded, her voice returning to its normal state. "I think you should know that being a werewolf isn't going to affect our relationship. Sure, I mean, I might have to get used to it, but I, no, we will be fine. This, well, it isn't your fault, and it doesn't change the way I feel about you, either. I love you Remus, werewolf or otherwise. In fact, I think it's kind of sexy."

"Really?" Remus asked, his whole face lighting up.

"Really," Sarah whispered right before she kissed him full on the lips.

They kissed for what seemed like hours. Remus had never been this happy before. Sarah, his wonderful Sarah. She knew the truth about what he really was, and, yet, she still loved him. Merlin, what a girl!

Up the stairs, two figures were creeping down trying to catch a glimpse of the happy couple. Sirius saw them heatedly snogging and turned to Peter and said, "Hmm, he must not have told her yet."

The next day, Remus informed the rest of the Marauders about the previous night's events. They all agreed that it was okay for Sarah to tell Lily and Rory about Remus's condition just as long as none of them found out that the rest of the Marauders were illegal animagi and snuck out with him when he transformed. _That_, they could leave out. Lily took the news in a very motherly way; she kept rushing up to Remus and giving him chocolate saying, 'he 

looked much too peaky.' Rory, however, claimed that she had known Remus was a werewolf for ages but that she just hadn't said anything because she figured he would tell her when he was ready. Plus, it was more fun without Sarah and Lily knowing.

"So," Sirius said. "You've always known about our little cub?"

"Yep," Rory replied with a wink, "just like you've always known about Lily's first name being Evans." The Marauders, Sarah, Rory, and Lily chuckled loudly.

"Anyways," Rory said. "When's the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

James and Lily exchanged furtive glances. Uh-oh!

Once back inside the confines of their private dorm, Lily let loose. "I can't believe we haven't planned another Hogsmeade weekend!" she fretted. "The last one was in September! It's November now! Oh Sweet Merlin, I'm the worst Head Girl ever! They're going to take away my Headship! What will mum and dad say? Oh Petunia will --"

"Lily," James interrupted her. "Breathe. Remember oxygen? Yeah, even cute witches, like yourself, need it, too. Well, unless you plan on snogging me senseless." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she sent him a death glare. "I figured just as much, but it doesn't hurt to try. Anyways," he continued as if nothing had happened. "A new Hogsmeade weekend can be planned easily enough. We're having a Quidditch Match against Slytherin on Saturday. It can be on that Sunday."

"Oh, okay, that could work," said Lily, who was starting to calm down. She was almost impressed by how James had handled the situation. He was so in control, unlike her. Every little thing seemed to get her frazzled, but not him. James took everything in his stride. That's just how he was. Well, not for long.

"I'll clear it with McGonagall and the Prefects okay, Lily?" James said as he made to head out the Portrait Hole.

"Yeah, that would be great, Mr. Prongs," she answered him.

James spun around. His demeanor had changed immediately. All the color had seemed to completely vanish from his face. He asked meekly, "Excuse me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, clearly enjoying being the one in control. "Is it just Prongs then?"

"How could--how do you know about that?" James stuttered.

"Here are your robes back," she said as she fished them out of her purse. "That and your 

map."

James gulped loudly. "How did you figure it out?"

"Well Moony obviously refers to Remus because of him being a werewolf. Sirius is definitely Padfoot because he is the only one who would not know that my name is Lily. Peter, I'm guessing, is Wormtail. And you, of course, are Prongs because you would be the only person to ask me out using a map."

James laughed. "But how did you figure out how to use the map?"

Lily waved her hand carelessly. "Professor Flitwick has given me some extra help in Charms to help prepare for N.E.W.T.s. It was an easy enough revealing charm."

James laughed again. "That's Lily Evans for you. She'll do anything to get that _Outstanding_." Lily started to laugh as well. "I just hope you don't turn us in."

"Nah," Lily said. "It is some pretty good magic after all. Besides, you just sorted that whole Hogsmeade situation out. I kinda owed you one."

"Thanks," said James. "Well, I best be going. I've got Quidditch practice."

"Okay, bye, James!" Lily called as she walked towards her room. James shook his head and left the dorm --right after he grabbed the map and placed it securely in his pocket.

On the morning of the Quidditch Match, James woke up unusually early, feeling surprising anxious. Of course, this was his third year as the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain, and his team had been training day and night in all types of weather. Nevertheless, he knew that there was no way in hell that he could face the school if it was all his fault that the Gryffindors lost. He wouldn't permit it. They had to beat the Slytherins or suffer the consequences. He started doing crunches and push-ups in his room to warm-up before the match while he ran drills in his head and remembered last-minute notes to give his team. Lily must have heard the noise he was making because ten minutes into his usual pre-match workout, she barged into his room.

"Why the bloody hell are you making so much noise?" she asked grumpily.

"Why the bloody hell don't you knock before you enter a room?" James mimicked her. "Honestly, woman, for all you know, I could have had a girl in here."

Lily laughed. "That's exactly why I didn't need to bother knocking. But really, what are you doing?"

"Quidditch Match today," replied James happily. "I gotta beat those mangy Slytherins."

"And your apparel, I suppose, is also in preparation for the match?" Lily asked eyeing him.

James looked down. He was wearing his favorite red T-shirt that said, 'Save the Broom, Mount the Chaser' and boxers with quaffles decorating them with 'Just Balls' written across the waistband. "Nope," he grinned. "These are just my pajamas."

"James Potter," Lily sighed, half-amused, half-exasperated.

"Yes, Lily dear?"

"Good luck today," she said before leaving his room. And with that, James knew he would not have any trouble winning today's match.

"And that's another goal scored by chaser, James Potter," shouted Elliot Saunders, the school's commentator. "That brings the score up to Gryffindor 70, Slytherin 40."

James grinned and laughed when he heard Sirius yell out to Rory, his fellow beater, "Quidditch isn't the only time James scores!"

He continued to pass the quaffle around to his fellow chasers: Ashley Davis and Bill Clearwater. Soon the score had risen to 120 Gryffindor to 80 Slytherin. He panicked as he heard Elliot say, "And it looks like the Slytherin's seeker has caught a glimpse of the snitch!"

James spun around suddenly. Sure enough, he saw a blur of green diving for a small golden ball being tailed closely by scarlet robes he knew to be Abbey Simon, Gryffindor's seeker. "C'mon, Abbey!" James shouted. "Punch him if you have to!" He was so enthralled in watching them dive that he didn't even hear Sirius scream "Look out!"

And then, everything went black.

"I'm going to murder that Slytherin bloke!"

"Oh Merlin, I just hope he's okay."

"That fall! It must have been 100 feet at least."

"Thank goodness you caught him, Sirius!"

James looked around. He didn't have his glasses on so everything was bright and extremely blurry. "Where am I?" he asked, thinking he sounded rather stupid.

"Heaven, mate," Sirius said solemnly.

"Nah," replied James. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here, Sirius." He laughed and felt around for his glasses. He found them on a table to his right and put them on. He was surrounded by worried faces. He could see Rory and Sirius at the front of the rest of the scarlet clad Gryffindor Quidditch team, Peter, Remus, Sarah, and a very white-faced Lily. Wait, Lily! Lily had come to visit him! This was worth the pounding headache and, from what he could tell, broken ribs.

"You're in the Hospital Wing, James," said Remus. "How are you feeling?"

"Never mind how I'm feeling," he said. "Did we win the match? What happened?"

"Don't worry, mate," Sirius replied. "We crushed Slytherin 270 to 80. Abbey caught the snitch right after you got hit by that bludger."

"Ah," James smiled. "Good girl, Abbey."

"Thanks, James," the cute fourth year blushed. "I hope you're feeling better. You had a pretty nasty fall."

"I'll be fine," James assured her soothingly. "Poppy can fix anything. It's just a shame that now I won't be able to escort anyone to Hogsmeade tomorrow," he added, winking at Lily, who still looked a little pale. "Now go on. Get out of here. I'm sure you all have better things to do than hanging around my bedside. Go on."

"Right you are, Prongs," said Sirius, who was heading for the door with his arm around Rory.

"Not you, Padfoot," James said. "You're staying here."

"Oh, man," Sirius pretended to pout.  


"Now Sirius, who picked up my broom? Somebody better have got it. It was a Nimbus!"

"Don't worry, James! Remus--"

Sarah, Lily, and Roy left the Hospital Wing and headed for the Heads' Dorm.

"I can't believe he fell," Sarah said.

"I know," Rory replied. "It was so scary. He was just lying there unconscious. Plus, I don't think I've ever seen Sirius so upset. He must really love James, right Lily? Lily? Earth to Lily?"

"What? Oh, yes."

"Lily, are you alright?" Sarah asked in a worried voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't seem to get the image of James falling out of my mind."

"Hmm," Sarah murmured knowingly, "I wonder why that is."

"I highly doubt it has anything to do with our Lily beginning to have more than loathing feelings towards a certain dashing Mr. Potter," Rory added. "Nope, it can't be that."

"Haha, you guys," Lily said in a mock laugh. "You are perfectly aware that James and I are just friends. Well, not even friends. Just merely acquaintances."

"Yeah," scoffed Sarah. "And Remus and I just happen to go to the same school."

"And last year's Head Boy and Girl Frank and Alice just ran into each other one time at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, shoving Rory's side as they reached Violet's Portrait. She sighed and quickly murmured the password, "Lily going stag."

* * *

A/N: i'm not gonna lie, this ending amuses me. i like that lily is finally starting to give in to the potter charm. poor james, though! don't worry! he'll be FINE! please review!


	14. A Little Bit of Persuasion

A Little Bit of Persuasion

Mid-way through November, James was perfectly healthy, mostly due to the excellent care of Madame Pomfrey, and was playing Quidditch again. Remus and Sarah had gotten over the road bump of Remus's 'furry little problem' and were going strong. This leads us to Sirius. He was all alone and extremely bored in the common room on a Friday night, no less. Luckily for him, he spotted Rory, who was crouched over a thick, musty textbook and long sheet of parchment that she was hastily scribbling on, sitting on a couch a few yards away. Sirius smirked, made sure his bangs were effortlessly falling into his eyes, and swaggered towards her. "Hey, Daniels!"

"Hey, Black," Rory said, briefly looking up from her Transfiguration essay to get a glimpse of him. "What are you doing all by yourself?"

"Well," he said. "Remus and Sarah are off on a date, somewhere, probably snogging each other's faces off. Evans and James are 'patrolling', which is probably some sort of Head code for the same thing. Honestly, I should've been made Head Boy. You are forced to roam the empty, secluded corridors of Hogwarts, after curfew mind you, with some girl. Seriously, Prongs has all the luck. Oh and yeah, Peter is serving detention for McGonagall."

"Huh," Rory murmured, still writing her essay. "Well that stinks. You've got nobody to hang out with."

"Au contraire, Mademoiselle Aurora," Sirius said with a dashing smile. "I plan on spending tonight in the company of a beautiful woman."

"Oh, really?" asked Rory, who finally looked up from her essay to raise an eyebrow in Sirius's direction. "Anyone I know?"

"Well, I hope you know her, considering she's you," Sirius replied as her sat down on the couch to next to Rory and put his arm around her shoulder.

"And what if I said I wanted to spend my night with a handsome bloke?" Rory retorted with a laugh.

"I'd say you already are, love."

Twenty-five minutes into a rather dull patrol of the castle, James turned to Lily and said, "Lily, I've been thinking and--" he stopped, gazing at her face, which seemed to be putting up a good fight to mask her laughter. "Oh, go ahead."

"What?" Lily asked with as much innocence as she could muster.

"Say something witty like 'you had to start sometime' or 'so you finally realized what resides underneath that thick skull of yours' or 'ladies and gentleman, grab your seats and witness James Potter's brain's first and only performance!' You know you want to."

Lily giggled. "I liked your third one. How'd you know I was thinking of something to say?"

James laughed as well. "I guess I just know you too well. That's your 'I just thought of a great way to make fun of Potter' smile."

Lily laughed again. "Anyways, you managed to pry your mind out of the gutter long enough to think what precisely?"

"Well," James began, ruffling his hair in a nervous way. "I know we've been okay Heads so far. We've set up Hogsmeade weekends, gone on patrols, helped out puny little first years, and done whatever bloody thing McGonagall has asked us to do, but I want to do more. I want us to do something that the students of Hogwarts will never forget! I mean, Dumbledore did say we could schedule activities at the start of term. I think we should take advantage of that, as Heads."

"So," Lily said. "Basically you're saying you want more responsibility?"

"NO!" James yelled, looking horrorstricken. "Not that! Anything but that. I think that we should use our power as Head Boy and Head Girl to have fun."

"Oh," Lily replied. "That sounds more like the James Potter I know. Well, James, that actually seems like a pretty good idea. With all the preparations for N.E.W.T.s and O.W.L.s, I think we could all use a break to have a bit of fun. What do you have in mind?"

"Oh you know," he teased with a naughty grin. "Wet T-shirt contests, mud wrestling, optional clothing Fridays, or maybe even stopping classes altogether to play Quidditch instead."

At the word Quidditch, Lily internally shivered. The image of James falling from the sky and then lying unconscious in Sirius's arms suddenly dominated her mind. He was stark-white with his eyes closed, and for once, his hair was naturally windswept. His body was limp, and he didn't even appear to be breathing. When it happened, Lily thought for a second that James could have been, well, that James could have been dead. It was an eerie thought that had caused her to feel a complex rush of emotions almost instantly. She remembered how relief swept over her when Madame Pomfrey announced that he was still alive, just merely unconscious. Still, it was the first time she had ever seen the Quidditch star, 

obnoxious Head Boy, and cocksure Marauder, James Potter, look even remotely vulnerable. It had been a bit spooky, really. Trying to rid herself of these ill-consuming thoughts, Lily whacked him on the back of his head for his wisecrack remark.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"It was supposed to. How about we do something that someone else, besides you, would enjoy?"

"I don't know," James smirked. "I bet Sirius would have a hell of a time."

Lily whacked James again, this time on his chest.

"So feisty, Miss Evans. I like that. Anyways, what do you suggest we do?"

"Well," Lily replied, appearing to be thinking very hard about the question he had just asked her. "I guess we could have a ball. Hogwarts hasn't had one of those in ages."

"Lily," James retorted. "I said I wanted to do something fun."

Lily whacked him on the arm, yet again.

"You know, if I didn't know any better, I could presume that your whacking me is just an excuse for wanting to touch me."

"You wish," Lily laughed. "But seriously, James, balls are fun! We can make it so it's only fifth years and above, and we can decorate the Great Hall so that it looks lovely, and we can have the house-elves prepare a special feast."

"Still not seeing the fun, Lils," James pointed out.

"I'll be wearing a dress," she muttered in a frustrated way.

James's face lit up immediately. "Can it be black and revealing?"

"Sure," Lily laughed. "Whatever."

"So when are we going to have this ball? It's a ruddy brilliant idea!"

A week later, the plans for the ball were in motion. It was set for New Years' Eve so that 

students could still go home for Christmas break but the date wouldn't interfere with classes, or, Merlin forbid, Quidditch. Lily and James, with help from the Prefects, had put up posters advertising the dance around the school. Everyone seemed really excited about it. In fact, it's all about anybody could seem to talk about.

"What should the theme be?" Lily asked James in their common room on the first day of December.

"Theme?" James asked. "Theme for what?"

"The ball, Potter. Remember the thing we've been planning for the past three weeks?"

"You're so incredibly funny, Evans. Besides, I don't think we should have a theme," James replied.

"No theme?" Lily questioned.

"No theme," James said.

"How can we have a ball and not have a theme for it?"

"Well," James said. "If you're going to a ball for the first time, you'll probably be so swept up in the music and the dancing and your date to even care whether or not the ball has a theme. The theme is you."

"I kind of like that," Lily said. "Okay, no theme. What about colors?"

"Scarlet and gold," James said at once.

"James, we can't have only Gryffindor colors at the ball."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"Because," Lily explained patiently. "The other houses will feel underrepresented."

"But Gryffindor's the best one," James argued.

"Let me guess," Lily taunted. "Because you're in it?"

"Nope," James replied. "Because you are."

Lily turned a deep shade of scarlet. Ignoring this, she said, "How about silver and gold?"

"Sure. That'll work."

"What time is it?" Lily asked randomly.  


"It's five o'clock," answered James with a raised eyebrow. "Why?"

"We've got to go! McGonagall!"

"Oh, shit!"

"Sorry we're late, Professor," Lily panted as she entered the Great Hall to find a very cross-looking Minerva McGonagall.

"We got held up by Peeves," James invented, sounding perfectly truthful, most likely due to years of experience in lying to authority figures.

"Well sit down, you two. We're just getting started." James and Lily sat down next to the Marauders, Rory, and Sarah.

"What were you two really doing that took you so long to get here and made our perfect little Head Girl so out of breath?" Sirius hissed into James's ear.

"Use your imagination," James whispered back with a wicked grin and a wink, which caused Sirius to smirk.

"Now," McGonagall said, addressing the Gryffindor fifth, sixth, and seventh year students. "As you are, I am sure, well aware, there will be a ball held on New Years' Eve." She paused disdainfully as several students cheered and high-fived. Only when the room was silent once more did McGonagall continue. "Obviously, you all seem to be very pleased by this news. However, I feel I must warn you that anyone who exhibits behavior at this event which does not display the House of Gryffindor in a positive light will be severely punished." She stopped, once more scanning the room with a death glare, her eyes lingering longer on Sirius than anyone else. "The reason we are here today, however, is to begin practice for the dancing aspect of the ball. I will have none of the vulgar moves of today be performed by anyone from my house. You will dance like the young ladies and gentleman that you are, even if it is rather deep inside," she added, with a quick glare in Sirius's direction. "Now, if I will have Mr. Potter and Miss Evans come down here to give you a quick demonstration."

"Excuse me, Professor?" Lily asked. "You want me and James to do what?"

"Demonstrate, of course, Miss Evans. Come on. You too, Mr. Potter."

A thunderstruck James followed an open-mouthed Lily to the floor. McGonagall flicked her 

wand, and some type of waltz music began to fill the Great Hall.

"Miss Evans, please place your left hand on Mr. Potter's shoulder."

"Do I have to, Professor?" Lily begged.

"Miss Evans, is there a reason why you feel that you needn't fulfill one of your roles as Head Girl?"

"No, Professor," Lily replied in a small voice, looking at the floor. She lifted her gaze and looked at James hesitantly, but then she complied with McGonagall's wishes.

"And Mr. Potter, put your hand on Ms. Evans's waist."

Sirius wolf whistled at this, and James turned to wink in his direction. Then without even a second glance at Lily, he did as he was told.

"And 1…2…3…1…2…." continued Professor McGonagall. James was quickly able to tune her out. He was leading Lily into a simple waltz around the Great Hall with ease. After a while, he spun Lily around, which caused her to laugh and blush. Then she accidentally stepped on James's foot.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"It's okay," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.

To prevent doing this again, Lily looked at the floor at her own feet, making sure they never came in contact with James's. McGonagall soon noticed this and shouted, "Head up, Miss Evans!" and Lily was forced to look into James's eyes, which were inches from her own. She had never really taken the time to look at them before because they were always hidden by his spectacles. However, now that she was in such close proximity with James, she had no trouble looking past the glasses and into his eyes. They were hazel. She had always known this, of course, but they were a hazel color that was different from any other shade she had ever seen. His eyes were a rich olive green color on the outsides that morphed into specks of gold surrounding the pupil like a sunflower. She became so transfixed that she didn't even notice the song was ending and that James had tilted her back into a graceful dip, his face mere centimeters for her own.

"Sorry about this," James whispered to her and then pulled her up to her feet.

"How'd you learn to dance like that?" asked Lily.

"Oh, you know," he replied as his hand reached for his hair nervously. "My mum always made me go to boring Ministry parties when I was younger. After about eight or nine balls, you get used to ballroom dancing."

"Oh," Lily said softly.

"Okay, everyone," McGonagall said, taking Lily out of her slight bewilderment. "Pair up and start practicing. Remember to count and do try not to trod onto your partner's foot!"

Lily blushed as James walked over to where the Gryffindors were sitting at the long table and asked Rory, who complied, to dance with him. Remus and Sarah were already trying out the dance, although, neither of them seemed too fussed with getting the steps right. Lily looked around for Sirius, but she saw that he had marched up to McGonagall saying, "Minnie, love, dance with me?" in a low husky voice. Then without waiting for her to yell at him, he started to twirl her around. Lily chuckled. She ended up dancing with Peter, who was very nice and funny, although he didn't have the same natural grace on the dance floor that James had.

"Sarah," Remus said quietly, looking down at the beautiful girl he was dancing with.

"Yes," she answered him, her head resting on his chest.

"Go to the ball with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she smiled and kissed him quickly on the lips.

"Sirius Black! Watch your hands!"

"Sorry, Minnie! They slipped!"

* * *

A/N: i really love sirius in this chapter. haha. thanks for reading!! all of the responses have been very positive so far, and i would just like to thank you all for that! i know the ball is a tad cliche, but just wait to see what happens!


	15. Late Night Excursions

Late Night Excursions

"Okay, Hogwarts or Hogsmeade?" Peter asked as he fiddled absentmindedly with a pillow on his bed in the Marauders' Dorm.

"Hogwarts grounds," replied Sirius.

"Nah," James argued, shaking his head. "We did Hogwarts last time and the time before that and the time before that and--"

"The time before that," Peter finished dully for him.

"Definitely Hogsmeade," James said, nodding.

"Well," Remus said in a mock tone. "I'm glad you guys are having so much fun planning my painful transformation into a vicious, bloodthirsty monster and all, but don't you think that maybe just for once we could actually follow the rules and stay inside the Shrieking Shack?"

"Moony!" Sirius whined. "Why do you have to suck all the fun out of life?"

James laughed and muttered something to himself about Remus compensating for not sucking enough somewhere else, and Sirius could faintly hear the name Sarah at the end of his sentence.

"Yeah," Peter added. "Are you a Marauder or not?"

"Guys," James intervened on Remus's behalf. "You know how Moony gets a little testy around his time of the month. Hmm…" he added thoughtfully. "Maybe we should ask the girls if they can loan us some medication to relieve him of his PMS," he finished with a grin and pinched Remus on the cheek.

"PMS?" asked Sirius, whose face was stretched into a wide smirk.

"Pre-Moony Sickness," James answered a guffawing Sirius.

"Oh," Sirius barked. "That makes sense. PMS, of course. For a second there I thought you were referring to the real reason why our little Remmy-poo just loves wearing his red wig."

Remus looked mortified. "Guys!" he squealed in a very manly way.

"C'mon, Remus," Peter said. "The full moon is on the last night before Christmas break. We won't have any classes the next morning and most of the students will have gone home. What's wrong with wanting to have some innocent little fun?"

Remus groaned and pulled at his tie. "There's nothing innocent about the Marauders."

Sirius feigned outraged. "I resemble that remark!"

"Hey, Lily," James greeted her as he walked out of his room and into their common room. He plopped down on a nearby red armchair and saw that she was sitting on the couch with a stack full of parchment.

"Hey, James," she replied with a smile. "So are you ready?"

"For what?" James asked apprehensively with one eyebrow raised inquisitively.

"To go over plans for the ball," Lily said.

"Oh Merlin, Lily," replied James, who tugged at his hair in a frustrated way. "I completely forgot. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Lily shrugged. She gestured to the parchment on her left. "I brought all of our notes so far. We've got the music, decorations, and Prefect schedules pretty much covered, but there's always room for improvement." She ignored James's groaning and continued yet another speech about the ball. James was starting to wonder if even Lily in a dress was a good enough reward for all the boring planning. "Plus, we still need to work out arrangements for the food with the house-elves. I figure we can just go over the details now and then maybe visit the kitchens tomorrow."

"Actually, Lily, I can't."

"Visit the kitchens tomorrow or make some more plans for the Ball?"

'Yes."

"Why can't you visit the kitchens?"

"No."

"What?"

"I can't go over any ball stuff now."

"Hold on a second," Lily said, holding her hands up and getting off the couch to walk towards James. "Are you, James Potter," she said as she gestured to him. "Really saying that you can't spend time with me, Lily Evans," she pointed to herself. "The girl you have been asking out repeatedly for seven years," she paused and bit her lip just to tease him even more. "Alone, at night, in our own private common room?"

James closed his eyes and groaned. "Yeah," he said finally. "I've got some important stuff to do. Sorry."

"It's okay, James," Lily said shrugging slightly. "We can go over the plans later tonight when you get back from your 'important stuff.'"

"Umm…Lily," James muttered. "I won't be coming back till really late tonight so you probably shouldn't wait up for me."

"What are you--?"

"Gotta go," James cut her off hastily. "Bye, Lils!" And before she could open her mouth to protest, he left through the Portrait Hole. Now alone, Lily decided that she was going to find out what he was doing.

"So Remus is about to transform. My fellow Messrs., are you ready to get going?" Sirius asked.

"Yep," James replied. "Wormtail, will you do the honors?"

Without answering, Peter transformed into a small brown rat. He sneaked under one of the Whomping Willow's branches and pressed the knot with his paw. The tree ceased all movement, and Peter transformed back into his human form. He made his way towards the entrance and James, followed closely by Sirius, joined him as they entered the secret passageway to the Shrieking Shack.

"Ready?" James asked, and the two boys nodded in unspoken agreement. And then, in the blink of an eye, there were no longer three teenage boys standing in a dark and dank passageway. They had been replaced by a rat, a black, shaggy dog, and a majestic-looking stag. The animals exited the passage through a doorway and entered a new room.

"That was a really close call," Peter panted as he leaned his back on the willow tree's immense trunk. Some of the bark was crumpling off the tree and onto his robes, but Peter hardly took notice. He was too busy being doubled over and breathing shallowly.

"What was up with Moony tonight?" Sirius asked. His breathing was also on the shallow side.

"I don't know," James grimaced. "But my leg feels like it's been snapped clean off. I don't think I can walk."

"Here," Sirius said, allowing his friend to lean on him for support. "I'll help you get to your common room. Peter, you should probably just head to the Gryffindor tower without us. You're in no state to be doing any more walking than necessary."

"Okay," Peter replied gratefully. "I'll see you guys in a few hours."

"Watch out for Filch!" Sirius called to his retreating form. Sirius watched as Peter swiftly made his way towards the castle. When he was safely inside, Sirius turned his attention back to James. "I think your leg is broken, Prongs. We should probably wait till we get you back to your room before I heal it, though. I don't want to get caught right before the holidays."

"Right," James grunted. "Merlin this hurts."

"Prongs, mate, if you think your leg hurts, you should see your face."

"What's wrong with it?" James asked in a panicked voice.

"Let's just say that the gash running down your cheek doesn't exactly make you look like Hogwarts's Number Two Hottie."

James groaned.

It was five o'clock in the morning by the time James and Sirius had reached the Heads' Dorm. Lily had fallen asleep on top of the enormous book she was reading a few hours ago. However, she quickly stirred from the noise the two boys were making. She glanced at her watch, and after seeing the time, she groaned to herself. She looked up and saw both of them entering the common room through the Portrait Hole. Because of James's pretty much worthless left leg, Sirius was forced to carry James over the threshold bridal-style.

"I always knew you two would tie the knot someday," Lily laughed despite her tiredness. "Tell me, who wore the dress?"  


"Cheeky, Evans," Sirius grunted as he propped James back into a standing position and forgetting to hold his arm out so that James was tottering. "The name's Black. Do I sound like the sort of guy who would wear a white dress with huge puffy sleeves? Besides, I always thought James was the one who acted the most like a pouf."

James groaned in both resentfulness and pain. "Oh, right, sorry, mate. Evans, James is straight. He is in no way overcompensating for being gay by asking you out every five seconds. How dare you think such a thing. The nerve!"

Lily giggled to herself. James, however, groaned for the second time and muttered, "My leg, you idiot!"

"Oh," Sirius said, a slight blush reaching his face. "Sorry, Prongs, it's hard to decipher the meaning behind groans. Anyways, Evans, will you help me please?"

Lily rushed over to the boys and helped Sirius guide James over to a couch. Sirius's robes were ripped and torn and his arms were covered in red scratches. James, on the other hand, was much worse. He had a huge gash along his cheek that was still bleeding pretty profusely. His leg was bloody, and it appeared to be broken. Lily saw that he was putting up a great fight to not wince from the pain in front of her.

"Sweet Merlin!" Lily exclaimed. "What happened to you guys?"

"Oh you know," Sirius said in a pathetic attempt to try to make a joke out of the whole situation. "I guess we found out the hard way that sleeping dragons really do not like to be poked."

Lily cast him an annoyed look. "What really happened, James?"

James sent a quick and meaningful gaze to Sirius. "Sorry, Lily, I can't tell you. It's a Marauder secret."

"Fine," Lily mumbled in a frustrated way that made James know that she was not at all satisfied with his answer. "I guess Sirius and I will just have to take you to the Hospital Wing then."

"No!" Sirius shouted. Lily looked at him in bewilderment.

"Sirius," she said calmly. "His leg is probably broken. He needs Madame Pomfrey."

"What he needs," Sirius said through gritted teeth. "Is to stay here and not go anywhere near the Hospital Wing tonight."

"What I really need are some good painkillers," James moaned from the couch he was lying on.  


However, both Sirius and Lily were too wrapped up in arguing that they completely ignored him.

"He needs proper care, Sirius! You're not thinking rationally!"

"No, Evans, he needs to stay here. I can heal his leg, okay?"

"No, Sirius. I won't let you do that. You're not a Ministry-qualified healer. What if something goes wrong? His leg could be permanently broken."

"It won't go wrong, Evans! I've fixed stuff like this loads of times. Besides, you don't know what's best for James! What's best for the Marauders!"

"Well I seem to care a lot more for him than you do at the moment!"

"Guys!" James shouted over them. Lily and Sirius stopped bickering and turned to face him. "It's great to have you two fight over my well-being and all, but I am in pain over here!"

"Oh, right," Sirius said as he walked over to the couch and examined James's leg. "I forgot."

"Easy for you," muttered James.

Sirius waved his wand and said, "_Episkey_!"

There was the horrible, eerie sound of bones being put back in place.

"Ahh," James sighed. "That's much better. Now, Lily, I know you want me to do what you think is best, but Sirius is, surprisingly, right. I can't go to the Hospital Wing."

"And why not?" Lily argued, her arms crossed firmly over her chest in a defiant sort of way.

"Mate," Sirius sighed exhaustedly. "I know we've sworn to never give out any of the Marauder secrets, but for Merlin's sake, just tell her. It's too bloody late to keep arguing over this, and she'd probably figure it out soon anyway with brains like that."

Despite Lily's anger at Sirius, she blushed a little at Sirius's compliment.

"You sure, Sirius?" James asked as he started to sit up.

"Just do it, mate. She's not going to let us have a moments rest before she finds out the truth, and you of all people need your beauty sleep. Besides, I'm leaving now. I gotta get some sleep. I'm bloody exhausted." And then, Sirius quickly scurried from the room.

"Thanks, mate," James muttered darkly. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "Ow!" he gasped. His fingers had reached the deep cut on the side of his face.

"Here," said Lily, who was making her way towards him. She sat down next to him on the couch. Lily traced the wound with her finger, and James shivered at her touch.

"Does it hurt?" Lily asked softly.

"Stings a bit," replied James, who was doing everything in his power to stop himself from moaning in pain.

"Here," Lily raised her wand and flicked it in a series of complicated motions. James reached for his face again and felt bandages covering the cut.

"Thanks," he murmured gratefully.

"No problem. Now tell me, what were you two really doing tonight?" She stopped and gazed at him with wide eyes. "Does it have to do with the full moon tonight?" she whispered.

"Merlin," James laughed. "Nothing gets past you."

"Just tell me," she requested pleadingly.

"Okay," James sighed. "When we found out that Remus was a werewolf, we wanted to do whatever we could to be good friends to him and help him out. Finally after years, we were able to figure out a way to be with Remus when he transforms."

"But how?" Lily asked, her voice filled with wonder. "A werewolf is fatal to all human beings, magic or otherwise."

"Exactly, werewolves are only a danger to humans." James took a deep breath. "Lily, Peter, Sirius, and I are illegal animagi."

"What?" Lily shrieked. "But that's ridiculous! You could get expelled! Or worse, you could be arrested and sent to Azkaban for doing that! Not even the Marauders could be so stupid!"

James laughed at her reaction. "Well, I reckon we are that stupid. That's probably why you hadn't thought of it beforehand. No one in their right minds would do what we did." He stopped and looked at her with an apologetic smile. "Look, Lily, I know it might have been a bit reckless of us." Lily scoffed. "But we were just trying to help out a friend. It's not Remus's fault that he's a werewolf, and we just wanted to show him that he could still be normal and have friends who care about him. Surely you can understand that?"

Lily sighed. "Yeah, I suppose I can," she said after a fashion. "But still, if Dumbledore or 

McGonagall or the Ministry ever found out--"

"That's why you can't say anything. You've got to promise, Lily. This is one of the greatest Marauder secrets. Swear to me that you will never tell a single soul what you've found out tonight. Well," he added. "Besides Rory and Sarah, since girls seem to be even worse at keeping secrets from their friends than blokes."

Lily suppressed a giggle. "Fine, I swear."

James sighed and sunk back onto the couch. Lily grinned as she tried to lighten the mood. "So what are some of the other great Marauder secrets you mentioned?"

James looked over his shoulder, unnecessarily making sure no one else was in his room.

"Sirius still sucks his thumbs sometimes at night," he whispered.

Lily burst into a fit of giggles. "Really?"

"Yeah," James replied, laughing heartily as well.

"That's nothing compared to Rory. She wore footie pajamas up until fifth year."

"Excellent," James said through guffaws. "It's funny how everything seems so hilarious when you're dead tired."

"Yeah," Lily agreed.

After the laughter died down, they sat on the couch together for a few minutes in awkward silence. James was trying to finally get some rest while Lily's mind was reeling with this newfound information. The Marauders were transforming into animals illegally, she had finally found out a way to blackmail Sirius, and they had all been injured because of their insurmountable loyalty to their friend. Finally, she seemed to be unable to repress one thought.

"James?" she called.

"Mhm?"

"What animals do you transform into?"

"Well," James said sleepily. "Peter's a rat, and Sirius is a dog."

"I already knew that," Lily snickered. James chuckled appreciatively, as well. "But what are you?"

"I'm a stag," James said proudly.  


"Oh," Lily murmured to herself. A stag. Suddenly it all clicked in her head. Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. That's what it had said on the map. The names must be in reference to the animals into which they transform. Still, she could have sworn she had heard the name stag before. And that's when it hit her. "Lily going stag!" she screeched as she hit James on the arm.

"Hey!" James retaliated. "Don't hit the wounded!"

"Sorry, but honestly, James."

"Yeah," James sighed, closing his eyes fondly. "I knew it would be too good to last. Do you want to change it?" he asked quietly.

"No," she said as James cheered a little inside. "I've already gotten used to it. It would be too much of a hassle to change it now. We can leave it." And then, to James's surprise, she moved closer to him on the couch and rested her head on his chest.

"Night, James," she whispered.

"Night, Lily," James said before he drifted off to some much needed sleep.

* * *

A/N: so lily knows. i think she handled it gracefully. for her. haha. thanks for reading! please scroll down on that little box to your left and work its magic!


	16. Where Embarassment Leads

Where Embarrassment Leads

"Mmmm," Lily moaned softly. She twisted her back into a more comfortable poistion and then rubbed her eyes with her left hand. She wasn't in her bed, or even in her room. She looked down and saw an arm wrapped around her waist. It was tanner than her arm and was coated with a layer of black hair. Lily stared at it in confusion. Then, as her eyes wandered upwards to see where the arm was coming from she saw a mess of jet black hair. She had woken up in James Potter's arms. "Ahh!" she squealed, trying to sit up. However, the noise had caused him to stir a little, and his grip on her prevented any attempt at getting out from underneath his clutch. Then a sudden panic hit Lily. She quickly looked down. Ahh, good. She was still wearing her robes from yesterday, and so was he. Then, it all came flooding back to her like an epiphany. They must have fallen asleep on the couch after he got back with Sirius. "James," Lily whispered. He was still sleeping, his mouth slightly open and his glasses nearly falling off his nose. She had to admit, he looked a little adorable. "James," she said a little louder this time. No luck. He was still sleeping soundly. "James," Lily said into his ear. "Wake up, it's me." She then realized that he probably didn't know who me was, so added, "Lily."

James moved a little. "Lily?" he asked groggily.

"Yeah, James. Wake up. We must have fallen asleep on the couch."

James, without warning, jerked into a sitting position, causing Lily to nearly fall off the couch.

"Sorry, Lils," he said as he helped her get back onto the couch. Lily made a conscious effort to make sure there was a large space between the two of them. "How'd we end up on the couch together?" he winked at her suggestively.

"It was nothing like that, James, honestly! You are such a male. I think we just sort of passed out after you came back last night with Sirius."

"Oh," James said as the events of the previous night rushed back into his head. "Right, Lily, about last night."

"It's okay, James, I remember my promise. I won't tell anybody about what I found out last night.

"Thanks," James replied.

"It's fine," Lily said casually as she tried to smooth out her hair. "But now, I really need to get going. If I don't leave soon I'm going to miss my meeting with Dumbledore."  


"Okay," James said as he regretfully watched her get off the couch.

"James, I worked it all out with Dumbledore. He thought it was a pretty good idea and said it would be fine as long as the proper procedure is followed."

"Oh good," James answered Lily, who was sitting next to Remus on a squashy couch in the Gryffindor Common Room. Peter and Sarah were sitting on their own armchairs, and Sirius and James were sitting on a nearby loveseat, ironically. They were all enjoying the much-needed break from schoolwork. This term had been filled with studying, reading textbooks, and writing essays in preparation for the upcoming N.E.W.T.s. Plus, James had to worry, not only about his Quidditch Captain and Head Boy duties, but also Lily nagging him about plans for the Ball nearly every ten seconds. He desperately needed some time to just relax and hang out with his friends.

"What did you work out?" Sarah asked.

"Oh," Lily said in an offhand sort of way. "I just made some arrangements with Dumbledore to allow students staying over Hogwarts for the break to be able to do some last minute shopping after Christmas. Merlin knows we'll need to find some suitable dresses for the Ball. What better place than Hogsmeade?"

Sirius groaned. "Don't say that word."

"Why not?" Lily asked curiously.

Sirius's face turned a light pink shade, and he muttered something incoherent under his breath. Meanwhile, the rest of the Marauders were doing their best not to burst out into laughter. Remus was biting his lip, James had stuffed his fist into his mouth, and Peter's eyes were actually tearing up.

"What's so funny?" Sarah asked, casting an inquisitive glance at Lily, who also did not seem to be in on the joke judging from her bewildered expression.

"Well," Remus began with a chuckle. "Let's just say Sirius had an interesting experience on 

the last Hogsmeade trip."

"An 'interesting experience?'" James snorted appreciatively. "That's one way to put it."

"I would have said he had a midnight rendezvous," Peter laughed.

"Can one of you just spit out just what is so funny?" Lily asked, slightly annoyed.

"Fine," Sirius said finally. "I'll tell you guys." He took a deep breath and then dived right into the story. "Okay. It was just last week, and the guys and I wanted to go out and blow off some steam. So there I was in the Three Broomsticks. I was ordering a couple of drinks for me and the rest of these buffoons," he paused and gestured to the rest of the Marauders. "From Rosmerta. She's the new barwench there. Very pretty. I was dazzling her with my wit and charm when I saw another girl walk by. She looked older than me, but she had really great legs."

"Then," Remus cut in, "He gave us our drinks and pointed her out to us. We couldn't see her face, though, because she was talking to a group of her friends."

"Sirius said, 'I bet you I can make that girl fall madly in love with me before the night is through,'" James laughed.

Sirius grimaced slightly but then continued to proceed with his story. "So I strolled on over to where she was and since her back was to me, I leaned in and whispered in her ear, 'come here often?'"

The Marauders burst into laughter. Even Sirius grinned a little.

"I don't get it," Rory stated.

"Me either," Lily said, a frown forming on her face. "Basically, you just acted like a male and tried to pick-up another poor defenseless girl. What's so funny about that?"

James grinned widely. "That, my dear, is the right question. Sirius, why don't you tell them who the girl at the bar was?"

Sirius groaned looking mortified. He looked down at his hands and mumbled something softly.

"What was that?" Lily asked.

"Mpmphgn," Sirius muttered a little louder this time.

"One more time, mate," James goaded. "With feeling." His eyes sparkled with delight over how mortifying this was for Sirius.

"McGonagall," Sirius choked out.

Everyone burst out laughing, even Sirius.

"Oh Sweet Merlin," Lily said as she gasped for air, "I can't believe you tired to pick-up a professor."

"Especially McGonagall," Sarah snickered.

"In my defense," Sirius said. "It was really late, the bar was dimly lit, I had had one too many firewhiskies, and she was wearing a very, very short skirt."

"Ahh," Remus grimaced. "Mental images!"

The group all winced slightly as the same thought went through each of their heads. There was a collective silence for a few minutes. It was broken, however, by Rory rushing in through the Portrait Hole.

"There you guys are," Rory sputtered. She looked a little flushed in the face as though she had been sprinting. She held on to her stomach and took a few deep breaths before saying, "You'll never guess what I just found out."

"We already know that Sirius hit on McGonagall in the Three Broomsticks," Sarah replied dully.

"What?" Rory asked. "He did? Oh Merlin, that is just too good." She laughed and looked over at Sirius, who was blushing deeper than ever. "Oh, that must have been so embarrassing for you."

Sirius clenched his jaw and asked with forced politeness, "Didn't you say you had something to tell us?"

"Oh, right," Rory laughed. "You guys will never believe this, but Snape got a date for the Ball."

"Are you fucking serious?" Peter asked in amazement.

"Yeah," Rory answered obviously.

"Way to go, Padfoot," James said. He leaned over on the loveseat and gave Sirius a hearty pat on the back. "That's my boy."

Sirius smirked cockily, "I do what I can."

Rory's eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Sirius and I are not fuc- fornicating," she said, crossing her arms across her chest as if that made the statement seem more final.  


"Whatever you say, love," Sirius laughed.

"We're not!" Rory huffed.

"Yet," Sirius whispered in an undertone into James's ear.

Lily licked her fingers happily. She turned to James and said, "That last dish was really quite tasty."

"Yep," James agreed. "I've always really enjoyed treacle tarts. I know they aren't the fanciest dessert, but you have to admit, they are delicious." Lily nodded in agreement. James grinned broadly and leaned forward in his chair to address one of the house-elves. "Katie, would you be so kind as to add that dessert to the menu?"

The house-elf nodded and said, "Of course, Master Potter, sir. Anything you want."

"Thanks, Katie," James replied, grinning down at her. "You're such a sweetheart."

The elf blushed and bustled through the kitchen to fulfill James's request.

"Well," Lily said. "I guess that takes care of the menu. I think we picked out some great dishes. I just hope the rest of the students will like the feast."

"Sure they will," James replied confidently. "The house-elves are amazing cooks."

"You really like them, don't you? House-elves, I mean," she said.

"Yeah," James answered her. "There's just something about them."

"Like you know they would never do anything to hurt you."

"Exactly!" exclaimed James, who looked like he was filled to the brim with excitement. "C'mon!"  


He grabbed her hand and nearly yanked her through the Portrait Hole out of the kitchen.

"James!" Lily shrieked. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see!" he answered.

They ran through the castle at a very fast speed. Lily was panting slightly, but James's breathing was as normal as ever as if he did this type of thing all the time. She found this somewhat cute, in an irritating sort of way. "Quick," he said as they reached the Heads' Dorm. "Run in there and get us some cloaks."

"What for?" Lily asked.

"To keep us warm obviously," James stated.

"You can't seriously want to go outside! It's snowing!"

"That, Lily," James grinned, "is my point exactly."

Rory was walking back to the Gryffindor Common Room. She had just been to the owlery to send a letter to her parents. Today was Christmas Eve and she wanted her Mum, Dad, and little brother Jake to know how much she missed them and to wish them a Merry Christmas. Nevertheless, she was glad to be staying at Hogwarts over the break. Rory often worried about never seeing her friends again. Seeing as it was their seventh year and they would all be moving on to bigger and better things next year, she wanted to spend as much time having fun and goofing off with Lily, Sarah, and the Marauders as she could. Rory didn't have too much time to dwell on this bittersweet fact, however, because two warm hands had come up from behind her and covered her eyes.

"Guess who?" she heard a familiar male voice say.

"Hmm," she lied. "James?"

"Nope, I'm the hottest Marauder."

"Remus!" Rory said in a feigned scandalized voice. "But what will Sarah say?"  


"Rory!"

She laughed. "I knew it was you the whole time, Sirius."

"Oh," Sirius said as he put his hands into his pockets and turned to face her. "Why didn't you just say so?"

"Because it was more fun to hear your reaction to me calling Remus hotter than you."

Sirius put on a pout. "You don't think he's really nicer-looking than me though, do you?" asked Sirius, a grin now forming oh his face. He moved a little closer to her.

"Maybe," Rory teased as she inched towards him as well.

"No, you don't," Sirius said softly, moving still closer to her. He reached out his hand and rested his thumb gently on her cheek.

"No, I don't," Rory whispered.

Sirius smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Rory leaned also to meet her lips with his. She kissed him back softly, and after a few seconds, he pulled back. "See, I knew you did."

"Yes," Rory laughed.

"You see," Sirius said, laughing as well, "Once you go Black you never go back."

Rory laughed once more. "Too bad I have McGonagall to compete with."

"Nah," Sirius grinned. "There was always been just the one."

"Oh," Rory smiled and then whispered. "It is me, right? You don't have a crush on Madame Pomfrey or something?"

But Sirius only grinned and kissed her again. It was more forceful than their previous kiss seeing as there was a quite bit more tongue, but it was just as passionate.

"Rory," Sirius said, panting slightly.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Would you give me the honor of escorting you to the New Year's Eve Ball?"

"I'd be delighted," Rory replied smiling.

Sirius's face broke out into a huge smile. "I've been trying to find the right moment to ask 

you that for weeks."

"I know. Why else would I have said no to Snape when he asked me before that Slytherin girl?" she joked.

Sirius smiled and kissed her again.

About thirty minutes later, Sirius walked with his arm around Rory's shoulder to the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What were you two doing?" James asked with a huge smirk on his face as he noticed their disheveled appearances. Both of their hair were messed up, Rory's shirt was somewhat askew, and no one could mistake the swollenness of their lips or the giddiness on their faces.

"Sirius and I are going to the Ball together," Rory announced.

Lily and Sarah squealed, and Remus muttered, "About time. I was so sick of the constant flirting. Snog me. No, snog me. Merlin, they were almost worse than James."

James only laughed at this and said, "And did you agree to this before or after you snogged each other senseless?"

They chose not to answer this, but when Rory had gone upstairs to talk more in-depth with Sarah and Lily, Sirius gave James a suggestive wink.

"Way to go, Padfoot," Remus said, patting Sirius on the back.

"Thanks," Sirius replied.

"You've liked Rory for ages though, haven't you?" Peter asked.

"Yes, but now I guess the flirty banter is over with, and we're getting down to the good stuff, er, I mean, heartwarming romance."

"Snogging?" Peter asked dully.  


"Yep," Sirius grinned widely.

"Well," James said. "I'd hate to break up this 'Dear Diary' moment, but I need to ask you guys for some advice on something."

"What?" Remus questioned.

"Well, about the Ball. Moony, you and Sarah are going together, and, Peter, you've got a date with that Ravenclaw girl."

"Jessica Andrews," Peter said proudly.

"And now that Sirius is going with Rory, I was just wondering, well, do you think it would be okay if I asked Lily to, you know, go with me?"

"No," Sirius said. "You should ask her to go with Peeves."

"But seriously, guys, what if she says no?"

"I don't know, James," Remus said. "You two have been getting along really well lately. Didn't you say you spent nearly two hours outside together yesterday?"

"Yeah," James said and closed his eyes as he recalled the afternoon fondly. "We made snow angels."

"Wait a minute," Sirius laughed. "Are you sure you shouldn't be taking a bloke to the ball instead?"

James feigned laughter. "I just don't want to ruin whatever it is that we have together. Heads, or friends, or acquaintances, or whatever the hell it is we are. It seems like it took us forever to be able to hold a normal conversation."

"Seven years," Peter pointed out.

"Well," Sirius said. "At least you know practically everything there is about the girl since you've stalked her for half your life so it shouldn't be hard to figure out the right way to do ask her."

"I never stalked her!"

"What does her hair smell like?" Peter asked, bored by the usual argument.

"Lavender," James replied instantly.

"Enough said," Sirius grinned.  


"Why do you guys always ask me that question?" James whined. "I know way more about Lily than that. Like that her favorite food is spaghetti and her nose always crinkles up whenever she doesn't get an Outstanding on something."

Peter laughed. "Well, Prongs, if we ever need someone to spout off some random facts about Lily, we'll just find you."

"James," Remus said, speaking a tad louder than usual, so that he could be heard over Sirius and Peter's laughter. "I think you should ask her."

"Really?"

"Yes," Remus replied.

"For Merlin's sake!" Sirius exclaimed. "She might actually say yes this time."

James smiled. "Yeah, she might."

* * *

A/N: james is such a cutie. i like this chapter. the rory/sirius joke makes me laugh. and i think they are really cute together. what did you think?

l

l

V


	17. May All Your Christmases Be Bright

May All Your Christmases Be Bright

With much gusto, James swung open the door to Lily's room and rushed inside. "Happy Christmas!" he cried out loudly to the red mass of hair hidden under a yellow pillow. When she didn't answer, James marched right up to Lily's sleeping form and said it again, this time a tad bit louder. Lily groaned and turned her back to him, adjusting her pillow slightly to cover her ears.

"C'mon," Lils," James said in a pleading voice.

"No," she muttered crossly.

"Oh, c'mon, Lily," James grinned despite her grouchiness. "It's Christmas!"

"Go away!" she murmured grouchily.

James merely laughed and sat down on her bed. He began to prod her in various places with his pointer finger, grinning wider and wider as he watched respond by squirming and trying to whack his hand away, still fruitlessly trying to get some sleep. When she grew tired of James's relentlessness, Lily tired to get him off by kicking him. Hard.

"Ouch!" James yelped. He rubbed his right shin gingerly where Lily had kicked him. "Alright, that's it, Lily. You asked for it." And then with a huge grin lighting up all of his facial features, James began tickling Lily on the sides of her waist where he knew most girls were particularly sensitive.

Lily giggled. "Stop!" she shrieked. "James!"

He ignored her and continued tickling. Finally, Lily mustered up all of her strength and shoved James so hard that he was forced off her bed and onto the floor with a loud thud. Lily grimaced at the sound. "Sorry, James," Lily said as she reached for her clock on her nightstand. As she looked at the time, which read 5:30, she sighed and said, "Never mind, you deserved it." She reached out her hand to help him get up. James grabbed her hand, smirked, and then yanked her off the bed, as well. Lily landed on top of James with an "Oof!" She pushed herself up with her elbows and peered down at him with annoyance. James only beamed at her and reached up to put a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Lily blushed slightly, temporarily forgetting her frustration with him and trying very hard to ignore the loud thumping of her heart fluttering inside her chest. She looked at the giddiness on his face and couldn't help but to smile at him as she said, "Happy Christmas, James."  


"Happy Christmas, Lily," he replied enthusiastically. Lily laughed and got to her feet as James did the same.

"Presents!" James exclaimed, grabbing Lily's hand and dragging her into their Common Room. Lily wiped the grogginess from her eyes and took the room in. James had insisted on decorating the place the previous night. He said he couldn't bear to celebrate Christmas without tons of holly everywhere and even a tree. Sure enough, there were two decent sized piles of presents waiting to be opened underneath the evergreen.

"Here you go," James said, handing Lily one of the glasses of eggnog in his hands. James was looking only slightly disheveled at this unMerlinly hour. He was wearing a navy blue sweater and a pair of black pants. His hair was even messier than usual, but all of this suited him. He looked quite handsome.

"Thanks," Lily said, taking the glass from him.

"You're very welcome," James replied.

They proceeded to sit down by the tree and open presents. James had received numerous Honeydukes' and Zonko's products from Rory and Sarah, a knitted scarf and a new set of black dress robes from his parents, new chaser gloves from Peter, and a pack of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum that was an inside joke shared between James and Sirius accompanied by a case of firewhiskey that James already had ideas about enjoying in the future.

Currently, he was unwrapping a parcel from Remus. After removing the brightly colored paper, James lifted the lid from the box that remained. He peered inside. There was a book entitled, "Pick-Up Lines for the Romantically Impaired" resting on top of the bright red wig that Remus was quite fond of and had worn during their Lily Lessons. James burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lily asked, looking up from the red sweater she was unwrapping.

"Nothing," James stammered a tad too quickly as he shoved the lid back onto the box. A deep blush had already formed across his face.

Lily eyed him suspiciously but then shrugged and murmured, "Okay." James sighed quietly to himself.

He searched through his pile for the last present, Lily's.

"Okay," she said. "I really hope you like it. I had so much trouble picking something out for you. I actually found this one book I thought you'd like. It was called 'How to Protect Your Wand from Getting Stupefied When Entering Her Chamber of Secrets,' but I decided 

against it."

James burst out laughing, and Lily chuckled, as well.

"Perfect little Lily Evans shops in the naughty part of the bookstore?" he asked, grinning broadly.

"No!" she argued in a scandalized voice. "I was just perusing the bookstore for a new novel. It's not my fault they keep," she paused and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Adult novels so prominently on display."

James snickered and muttered 'adult novels' to himself under his breath.

"Oh, just open it."

"Alright," James replied. He ripped the paper off and found a picture of the Marauders, Lily, Sarah, and Rory sitting around the Gryffindor Common Room. Peter was laughing at something, and Sarah and Remus were holding hands happily. Sirius was whispering something into Rory's ear, and a grinning James had his arm around Lily, who was also smiling widely at the camera. James's throat had somehow become a little clogged. He cleared it and said the only thing that could express how he was feeling at that particular moment. "Thank you, Lily," he said softly.

"You like it?" Lily asked eagerly.

James nodded and added, "I love it."

"Oh good," Lily sighed. "I hoped you would. Oh, and thanks again for the book on Charms. I can't wait to show it Professor Flitwick at our next study session. It's supposed to have a whole section devoted to the Backfiring Jinx with theories as to what the results of it may actually be considering that the effects are still unknown even after nearly decades of research," she rambled.

James laughed, "Only you, Lily, would get so excited over getting a textbook for Christmas."

She blushed faintly and said, "Are you done with your presents yet?"

"Yeah," he answered. "You?"

"Nope," she replied. "I've got one left. I have no idea who it's from thought. There's no card, note, or anything."

"Why don't you just open it?" James suggested.

"Okay," Lily agreed. She undid the paper carefully and meticulously, much slower than James would have. Once the paper had been cleared away, it revealed a small box. She 

opened it and gasped, her eyes bulging.

"What is it?" James asked curiously.

"Look," Lily said, turning the box to show James. It was a necklace. It had a thin silver chain with a heart-shaped locket hanging from it.

"Very pretty," James nodded his head in approval.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "I wonder who it's from."

"No idea," James shrugged. He watched as Lily undid the clasp and struggled with putting it on.

"Need help?" James offered.

"Please," she replied gratefully.

James inched over to her and reached for the necklace in her open hand. He pulled back her hair to reveal her white, smooth neck. James wrapped the necklace around her neck and clasped it shut. His fingers rested on her skin a second longer than was really necessary before he gently moved her hair back.

"There," he said. "Perfect."

Lily smiled and gave James a hug, "Thanks."

"No problem, Lily," James said. "Do you want me to clean up so you can go take a shower?"

"Sure, if it's not too much trouble."

"It's not."

"Okay," she said as she walked away, smiling and humming quietly to herself.

James watched her walk away until she had closed the door to her room behind her. Then, he started grabbing bits of wrapping paper and chucking them into a nearby trash bin. Something yellow that he hadn't noticed before caught his eye. He reached down to pick it up and noticed almost instantly that it had Remus's tidy handwriting written neatly across it. James smiled at the slip of paper and slipped it carefully into his pocket.

"So, Evans," Sirius asked, putting down his fork and temporarily pausing his attempt to eat all of the food on the Gryffindor table. "What time did James wake you up this morning?"

"How'd you--?" Lily began in surprise.

"We've been living with him for years," Remus answered her.

"I can't tell you how many mornings James has woken us all up at the crack of dawn," Peter added. "He's always insisting that something monumental was happening and that we would miss it by sleeping."

"Sweet Merlin, you guys," Sirius imitated him. "'If you don't wake up right now, you might miss out on all the extra breathing!' Honestly, if I didn't love him so much, I would strangle him," Sirius laughed as he put his arm around Rory's waist and pulling her closer to him. "So what time was it?"

"Five thirty," Lily replied darkly.

There was a collective groan.

"That's early," Sarah commented.

"I would've beat the crap out of him if he did that to me when I was sleeping," Rory said. Sirius whispered something in her ear, which caused her to giggle and shove him playfully.

"What's so bad about being a morning person?" James asked.

"You're not a morning person," Remus stated. "You're an afternoon, evening, and middle of the night person, as well. It's like you don't need sleep."

"He's just James," Lily said, shrugging.

"Yep," Sirius said through a mouthful of food. "That's just how he is."

"Sirius," Rory asked, pulling a face. "Exactly how much food are you going to inhale?"

"I'm on the seafood diet," Sirius announced.

"You're eating turkey," Peter pointed out flatly.

"No you misunderstand me, Wormtail, mate. I see food, and then I eat it."

"Oh Merlin," Sarah sighed.

"Happy Christmas, guys," Remus said, toasting his glass of pumpkin juice.

"Happy Christmas," they all repeated as they raised their own goblets in the air. Remus leaned over to kiss Sarah quickly on the lips before draining his glass.

Sirius whispered something into Rory's ear, and then with a quick goodbye, they rushed out of the Great Hall.

"Those two just can't seem to stay off each other," Peter said, oblivious to the fact that Remus and Sarah were playing footsie across the table from him.

"At least they're happy," Lily said, catching James's eye. He gave her a secret grin that he only had around her, and she smiled back before ducking behind her empty goblet to hide the blush that had crept upon her cheeks. James got up from the table and cast a meaningful glance in Remus's direction.

"Goodnight, guys," he said. "See you tomorrow at breakfast." He then moved closer to Lily and crouched down so that they were eye-level. James added in a quiet voice that was only meant for her to hear, "Hey, Lily, will you meet me in our Common Room tonight?"

"Uhh, yeah, sure," Lily said, a little confused as to why didn't want everybody else at the table to hear this.

James left the table with a final farewell and a wave. He walked briskly to the Heads' Dorm. Various memories flooded his brain: when he first met Lily on the Hogwarts Express seven years ago, his first Halloween at Hogwarts when he uttered possibly the lamest attempt to get her to date him, their run-in in fifth year after O.W.L.s that Sirius fondly referred to as the 'Toerag Incident,' in the Heads' Compartment when he had told her that he was Head Boy and she nearly died of shock, their first patrol, her pushing him into the lake, he and Lily demonstrating how to waltz on McGonagall's orders, and finally, the memory of putting the silver locket he had secretly given to Lily for Christmas around her neck just that morning. These were his memories of her. He loved them all, even when it was just her telling him to go away and stop asking her out. These were the moments that had made him feel the way he did for her. And with that, James knew he could do this. He was ready.

Lily was walking out of the Great Hall. She was sleepy and pleasantly stuffed with food. Overall, it had been a fantastic Christmas, waking up at five thirty in the morning, and al. She fingered the silver locket around her neck, smiling slightly to herself, and continued walking towards the Heads' Dorm.

"Lily!" she heard a voice calling from behind her. "Lily Evans!"

Lily turned around, wondering if she had left something behind at the feast. She was surprised to see not a second year holding something or other of hers, but Amos Diggory, who was nearly sprinting to catch up to her.

"Hello, Amos," Lily said, smiling up at him. He was rather attractive. He had chocolaty brown eyes and short blonde hair. Lily remembered the crush she had harbored for him in her fourth year and wondered what it was that he wanted.

"Hey, Lily," Amos replied, panting a little, but flashing her a bright smile that revealed perfectly straight and white teeth. "Where are you headed?"

"Heads' Dorm," she answered.

"I'll walk you there," he offered.

"No, that's okay, Amos," Lily said. "It's so far away from the Hufflepuff Common Room, I wouldn't want you to--"

Amos waved his hand as if to say it was nothing. "Nonsense. I'd be delighted. You know, it's not every day I get to walk with a girl as stunning as yourself," he added and then placed his hand softly on the small of Lily's back.

Lily blushed. "So how has your term been so far?" Lily asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's been as good as can be expected," Amos said, chuckling a little to himself, as if there was some private joke only he was in on. "Not much fun can be had with the professors of this school ramming as many pointless facts down our throats as they can before we take 

our N.E.W.T.s."

"I know what you mean," Lily agreed.

"Of course," Amos continued. "It must be ten times worse for you. I imagine planning an entire Ball by yourself is much more tiring than running Quidditch practices."

Lily opened her mouth wanting to say something about James being so helpful with plans for the Ball, but something stopped her. She didn't know what it was. Instead, she found her entire brain drifting off to a Quidditch game last year when she had seen Amos after a Quidditch game. She remembered him being covered in a light sheen of sweat and holding his broomstick in his hand. He had looked so good in his tight Quidditch uniform. It showed off all of his wonderfully toned muscles. That day, Lily remembered, he had smiled and waved at her as he had walked off the Quidditch Pitch. She could feel the same butterflies as before flying around in her stomach. "Yeah," she agreed finally, coming out of her daydream.

They made a left turn, and within a few seconds, they were in front of Violet's portrait.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight then."

"Wait," Amos interrupted her. "Lily, I know we haven't really had the chance to spend time together in awhile, but I just want you to know that I've always really liked you. You're so beautiful and talented and passionate. And, if you aren't going with someone else already, which I would completely understand seeing as it's taking me this long to come up with the nerve to ask you, I was wondering if you'd like to go with the ball with me?" he gave her a pleading smile.

"Sure," Lily replied. "That would be great."

Amos's smile now spread from ear to ear, and he leaned forward to kiss Lily. She met her lips with his, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to his warm body. As the kiss deepened, Lily realized how long it had been since she had done this. It felt so nice. Plus, Amos was a really good kisser. Finally, Lily pulled away, breathless.

Amos leaned back as well and whispered, "Happy Christmas, Lily," into her ear before walking away.

Giddy, Lily told Violet the password and entered the Common Room. She leaned back against the Portrait and closed her eyes, smiling and remembering the feeling of his lips on hers.

James stood on the opposite side of the room waiting for her with a branch of lavender hidden behind his back. In his other hand was the crumpled note from Remus. It read:

_Dear James,_

Tonight's the night! Good luck when you finally ask her!

Yours,

Remus

* * *

A/N: i'm so sorry!!


	18. Right Back to Where We Started From

Right Back to Where We Started From

"Lily!" James exclaimed as he took a few steps toward her in both eagerness and uneasiness. He ruffled his hair nervously and gave her an unsure grin. As he approached her, he took in her appearance. James wanted to remember absolutely everything about Lily Evans. He wanted to be able to recall, decades from now, the night she finally said yes to him. Lily was a bit flushed, and her lips looked a tad swollen. James was pleased to see that she was grinning from ear to ear.

"James!" Lily replied, meeting his enthusiasm by running up to him and engulfing him in a big bear hug. James was very surprised by this, but he responded quickly and savored the hug. She pulled back after a few short seconds but kept her hands resting gently on James's forearms.

"You'll never guess what just happened!" She let go of James and pushed her hair out of her face saying, "I can't even believe it either! It was just so unexpected, but wonderful at the same time, you know?"

"Not really, Lils," James laughed at her terrible description due to the sheer excitement written all of over her face. "May I ask what happened that was so wonderful? Did Minnie finally proclaim her love for Sirius?"

"No!" Lily laughed. "Amos just asked me to go to the Ball with him!"

"What?" James asked incredulously, the laughter quickly leaving his face. A fresh wave of fury, hurt, and a strong desire to beat Amos Diggory into a bloody pulp instantly replaced his amusement. Unconsciously, James dropped the lavender branch and Remus's note. They fell quickly and silently to the ground.

"I know!" Lily replied, foolishly mistaking his response for a pleasant surprise. "I thought I would just go to the Ball alone. I mean, it's so close and nobody had asked me. You would think if someone had wanted to go with me, they would have asked early on. But I guess Amos was just nervous or something, because he just did, and I said yes!"

"Why?" James murmured lightly, voicing the thought that seemed some powerful that it had managed to stop his heart and breathing all at once.

"I know exactly what you're saying! It seems so unlike me, I guess! I mean, I haven't really thought about Amos that way for a couple years now. But I guess, I was so wrapped up in the moment. He was being so sweet, and he looked really handsome. Plus it was Christmas Day too! It was all just so romantic; I couldn't help but be swept off my feet!"

"I bet," James grunted darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lily asked, the beaming smile that once dominated her 

lips forming a frown.

"Oh nothing," James scowled.

"No," Lily said, putting a hand firmly on her hip. "There's something wrong. It's written all over your face."

"I'm surprised you even notice me now that you're going to the Ball with your precious Diggory!" James spat bitterly.

"Don't," Lily warned him.

"Don't what?" James taunted her. He was in no mood to obey her wishes.

"Don't you dare try to ruin this for me, James Potter!" Lily shrieked. "Just because you can't deal with the fact that something good has finally happened to me--"

"Diggory isn't something good for you," James interrupted her.

"How would you know, Potter?" Lily retorted viciously. "It's not like you have a date to the Ball, or anything."

James blinked; that stung. Still, determined not to let her win, he replied, "Oh yeah, Evans? Well maybe I'll just go find someone then."

"Maybe you should," Lily responded coldly, moving towards her room.

"Don't you worry, I will, and she'll be ten times better than that pansy, Diggory!" James replied as he walked briskly towards the door to his own room

"Fine!" Lily screamed as she slammed her door shut.

"Fine!" James yelled back at her before slamming his own door, as well.

James kicked his desk hard, but then regretted it when he felt the fleeting pain in his toe. He cursed extremely colorfully and then settled for throwing himself onto his bed face first. His glasses felt uncomfortable pushed against the pillow so he threw them to the floor. He wanted to whip out a bottle of firewhiskey from the case Sirius had given him and chug his sorrows away. However, he thought better of this. A hangover wasn't going to solve anything. Plus, he was feeling too lazy and upset to get up, and he couldn't summon the bottle because he had left his wand in the Common Room. And no way was he going to go back in there. One cannot just do that after a dramatic door slam. He had no choice but to 

close his eyes and wait for sleep that he knew wouldn't come.

The next morning, James woke up at five despite only managing to fall asleep at around three. He knew that he should get dressed and go down for breakfast, but he couldn't bring himself to get out of bed. Instead, he curled up into the fetal position and laid in his bed. James stared at the ceiling. He counted the cracks. It was oddly comforting. James must have fallen back asleep at one point because the next thing he remembered, he was being shaken awake by Remus.

"C'mon, mate," he said soothingly. "Dinner is almost over, and you have to eat something."

James muttered something incoherent, but Remus, behaving very motherly, dragged James out of his room and to the Great Hall. He was plopped down at the Gryffindor Table across from Sirius. He looked horrible. He had huge purple bags under his eyes, and his hair was flat and dull. There wasn't even a hint of expression on his face; he looked, to say it simply, dead. Nevertheless, James played with the baked potato that Remus had put in front of him with his fork.

"What's the matter with him?" Sirius whispered to Rory.

"I dunno," she answered vaguely.

"He's not talking," Sirius said quietly. "Nobody's talking. Did I miss an owl or something? Is this supposed to be quiet time?"

"Shut up, Sirius," Remus urged him quietly yet forcefully.

Sirius pushed his dinner plate away from his chest defiantly. "No," he said loudly. "I want to know what's going on. James is my best mate, and if there's a reason as to why he seems so upset, I want to know so I can do something about it."

"James and Lily are having a fight," Sarah whispered.

"Why?" Sirius asked in confusion. He had not talked to Lily or James all day. He had spent it with Rory, and they weren't really doing anything that was polite to be seen in public. "Last night they were all lovey dovey? What happened?"

"Lily is going to the New Years' Eve Ball with Amos Diggory," Remus answered quietly. A pang shot through his own heart as he said this. He had never felt so sympathetic for someone as when he did when Sarah told him Lily's news.

"Blimey! But James was going to--ow!" Sirius yelped as Remus kicked him hard in the shin.

"I know," Remus said lightly.

"So why aren't we talking?" Sirius asked once more. "Just because James's life has gone down the bloody drain does not mean we all have to take vows of silence!"

"You do realize I can hear you, right?" James finally spoke. Remus had placed him in the farthest seat away from the Hufflepuff Table, where Lily was sitting today. "Just because my life has, what did you say? Oh yes, 'gone down the bloody drain,'" James laughed hollowly. "It doesn't mean I'm deaf, too."

"Sorry, mate," Sirius said gently. At James's words, he sat quietly, immersed in the sorrow he felt for his friend, finally understanding why everyone else was being silent, as well. The minutes of stillness blended into each other as the members of the Gryffindor Table slowly chewed at their food. James watched as Diggory put his hand on the small of Lily's back to pull her closer to him. James began to stab his potato with more gusto. Eventually, he couldn't take it anymore. He began walking towards the Hufflepuff Table. He clenched his fists so tightly that blue veins were showing through his skin; his knuckles turned a stark white color. James somehow sensed that Lily saw him coming, despite her giggling at whatever Diggory was whispering into her ear. This pleased him and gave him the strength needed to what he did next.

James turned away from the sickeningly sweet new couple and approached Nikki Harris. She was blonde and had a slim, almost sticklike figure. James winced slightly to himself when he remembered the nickname Sirius had made for her, Icky. Sadly, this immature nickname was not a product of first year, but something that seemed genius in sixth. Nevertheless, James fixed his hair and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, Nikki," James greeted her with a fake grin.

"Hi, James!" Nikki said in a bubbly voice as she stood up from the table to be closer to him.

"Did you have a nice Christmas?" James asked.

"It was alright," she said as she stroked James's arm through his sweater with her fingertips. "Kinda lonely though."

"Mine too," James agreed without really listening. He was preoccupied watching Diggory sweep in to give Lily a short kiss on the cheek. She was blushing a very pretty scarlet color as he did this. James painfully tore his eyes away from them and back to Nikki.

"Look, I don't know if you were planning already to go with anyone, but," James said as he chanced a quick glance in Lily's direction, who he was happy to see had maneuvered herself out of Diggory's arms. "Would you fancy accompanying me to the Ball on Sunday?"  


"I'd love to!" Nikki squealed as she threw her arms around James's neck. He tried not to grimace.

"Great, he grinned falsely. "I'll meet you at the Great Hall at 7:30 then, Ic-Nikki."

"That sounds perfect, Jamesie," Nikki cooed and leaned up to give James a quick kiss on the lips. James hid his shudder as he walked away from the table, determined not to even peak at Lily's reaction.

James made his way towards the Gryffindor Table slowly. He was almost in his usual seat across from Sirius when he thought better of it. James left the area without a word and walked out of the Great Hall. He decided to go to the owlery to send a letter to his mum that he had been meaning to send. Fortunately, the owlery was empty except, of course, for the hundreds of owls. James examined a dignified tawny school owl, his own being out on a hunting trip. He reached into the pocket of his robes and fished out a letter that had been lying forgotten in there for the past week that wished his parents a Happy Christmas. James laughed hollowly at how ridiculous that statement sounded now.

He tied the parchment to the owl's leg and watched wistfully as it flew out of sight; if only he could do the same. After a few minutes, James forced himself to retire to the Heads' Dorm. However, when he got to the Portrait Hole, he realized that maybe he should have just slept in the owlery.

Lily was there. No correction. Lily was there outside the Heads' Dorm with Diggory's face stuck to hers. James coughed loudly. Diggory looked up and had the decency to look at least slightly embarrassed. He whispered something into Lily's ear that James could not hear because he was too busy grinding his teeth together and trying to figure out how many ways he could kill Amos Diggory from where he stood. Diggory was now backing away and left with one final wave and smile at Lily. After Lily was sure he was completely out of earshot, she rounded on James. "What do you want, Potter?" she asked acidly.

"Nothing. I just wanted to get some sleep, but then again, normally I try not to gag before doing so."

"Funny, Potter. We were just saying goodnight."

"People don't usually say goodnight with their tongues, Evans," James retorted vicously.

"Just because Amos and I are together now doesn't mean you have to behave so rudely!" Lily shrieked.  


"I couldn't care less about you and your pretty-boy Diggory," James replied coolly. "I happen to be going to the Ball with someone as well."

"Nikki Harris doesn't exactly qualify as someone," Lily said coldly.

"Watch it, Evans," James warned her.

"No, Potter, I will not 'watch it.' You are a complete jerk! I finally have found someone who makes me happy, and you can't even be happy for me! I can't believe I even considered you as one of my friends!"

"Well, I don't want to be your friend!" James yelled truthfully, though somewhat lamely he thought. Nevertheless, he turned on his heel and stormed away, leaving Lily alone in the corridor. A single tear was silently falling from her eye, but she wiped it away, furious with him, but also herself, and entered the Heads' Dorm.

Meanwhile, James walked briskly to the Gryffindor Common Room. He decided to sleep with the Marauders tonight. He wanted to go back to his normal life before any of this had happened. Remus, Sirius, and Peter didn't look very surprised to see him even though it was well past midnight. Peter looked sympathetic. Remus shot him a worried and almost wearied glance, as if he dreaded the moment when he would find out the full contents of the previous two days' events. Sirius's face comforted James, even if only slightly. It was expressionless, neither judging nor agreeing. It was just understanding. James felt a rush of gratitude towards his best mate. He huffed into the room and laid down on his former bed, not bothering to change his clothes or even remove his glasses. He blocked out all of his thoughts and emotions and closed his eyes. Just as he was about to drift off into sleep, he heard Sirius mutter softly, "I'm so sorry, James."

The next morning, Remus filled Sarah and Rory in about what sparse knowledge about the previous night's events that he had forced out of James. They went to visit Lily before breakfast.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Sarah asked.

"I'm fine," Lily said for about the thousandth time. "I honestly don't care what Potter says and he is definitely not going to change my plans for the Ball. I've worked too hard for him to mess it all up for me."

"Okay," Rory said, sounding a little apprehensive still. "So we'll just let life continue as usual."  


"Starting with the shopping spree at Hogsmeade," Sarah replied excitedly. "I really want to get a dress that Remus will like."

"Remus loves you so much, he probably wouldn't even care if you word sweats," Rory laughed. "Personally, I want to get something that makes Sirius start to drool."  
Sarah laughed. "Why don't you just wear some food? That ought to get the job done."

Rory laughed as well and shoved Sarah playfully. "What about you, Lily? What kind of dress is poor, unsuspecting Amos Diggory going to lose his mind over?"

"I was thinking something black and revealing."

* * *

A/N: i'm still really sorry about the last chapter, guys. i know it was ridiculously mean. and, in a sick way, i kind of enjoyed all of your reviews telling me that (special thanks to stella luminosa for mentioning edward in hers :D) sadly, this chapter doesn't get much better. thanks for reading! that scroll box down there is just aching for some attention!


	19. The Night Itself

The Night Itself

James sighed. He had spent the last three hours dealing with overzealous teenage girls, who had, funnily enough, all decided that they wanted to help decorate the Great Hall in preparation for the Ball when James had announced that he was the one in charge of decorations. James chided himself mentally. He never should have offered to let _her_ have the time off. At the time, James thought he was being nice. These few extra hours could be used to get ready with Rory and Sarah as they did girl stuff. James now regretted his decision with every fiber of his being as he thought of _her_ getting ready for _him_.

This was not the way things were supposed to go. Every love story James had ever heard always went the same way. Boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy and girl live happily ever after. Nowhere in the story does it say that the girl ditches the boy for another less attractive guy. James sighed again. Only one more hour till he could leave.

When the decorating had finally ceased and the giggling and babbling of high-pitched voices had diminished, James left the Great Hall. Sadly, the temporary relief of escaping the land of X chromosomes was replaced by a fleeting panic. The Ball was in just two hours. Would he be able to go and face _them_? What would happen if he couldn't? James's head started to pound. He slowly made his way up the stairs of the Gryffindor Common Room and laid down on his old bed in the Marauders' Dorm. He rubbed his temples gently and tried to think of something else--anything else.

"There you are, mate," Sirius said as relief washed over him. "I was afraid you had, oh never mind. Let's get ready. Remus and I are having a bet on how many girls we can make salivate by the end of the night. I'm going for fifty."

James laughed for the first time in a week and joined his friends. During the two hours before the Ball, there was primping, showering, plucking, shaving, spraying, mousing, gelling, straightening, combing, curling, pampering, facialing, chap-stick applying, and crying. And that was just from Sirius. Finally, 7:00 had rolled around, and it was time for the boys to pick up their dates. James adjusted his new dress robes anxiously. He couldn't seem to get them positioned correctly on his body.

"Nervous?" Remus asked gently.

"No," James replied stubbornly. "Well, perhaps just a bit," he admitted quietly. "I'm not sure I'm strong enough for this, Remus."

"I don't think anybody is."  


"Then what should I do?" James asked, his hazel eyes begging.

"What you can," Remus answered.

"That's not a lot to go on."

"No, it's not," Remus apologized weakly.

"You're losing your touch," James said lightly.

"So are you," Remus replied jokingly. "Imagine James Potter questioning his abilities over some girl."

"She's not just some girl."

"Yeah, I know."

James was silent as he walked with the rest of the Marauders to the Great Hall to meet their dates. Peter quickly found his date, and he and Jessica walked into the Great Hall together happily. James stood awkwardly next to Sirius and Remus as he waited. He ran his fingers through his hair and played with the buttons on his robes. Remus found Sarah next. James had to admit that she looked very pretty in her hyacinth blue dress. Remus looked positively awed when he saw her and James felt a pang of jealously as he thought of how happy the two were together. They left for the corridor for the Great Hall, but Remus sent James a reassuring glance before he entered the Ball. Moments later, Sirius patted James on the back as he nearly ran towards Rory. James felt the urge to laugh, but it was squashed when he saw _her_.

_She_ was wearing a black dress. It had a deep v-neck and it clung to her stupid shapely curves in an almost mocking way. Her usually lean legs looked even longer in a pair of sexy matching black stiletto heels. James's eyes focused on them a bit longer than necessary. The silver locket James had given her for Christmas hung around her insanely smooth neck that seemed even more elongated because her hair was up in a fancy knot that had huge curls falling gracefully down from it. There was a pretty silver butterfly clip holding her hair together in the back, and a few small curls were left down to frame her face. Impossibly, her eyes were even more distinctive than usual thanks to what James could only guess must have been liberal amounts of both mascara and eyeliner. He watched in a sort of daze as she walked down a flight of stairs and towards him. He silently cursed the Hogwarts Castle. Why did there have to be stairs everywhere? Didn't they know that they made entrances even more intoxicating? His eyes hungrily watched her, and he was certain that her eyes had locked on his as she descended, even if only for a fraction of a second.

"James!" someone called, placing a hand on his shoulder.  


James turned around and looked down. Nikki was there, wearing a teal dress. "Er, hi," he said awkwardly. "You look nice," he mumbled, as against his better judgment, he compared Nikki to _her._ Nikki hadn't made it impossible for him to look away. She didn't cause his heart to beat rapidly in his chest. Nothing about Nikki was even close to _her_. Still, he tried to be polite as he pinned the white rose he had bought for Nikki on the strap of her dress.

"Thanks, James," she cooed. "This is so nice of you."

"No problem."

"Are you ready to go in?" she asked cheerfully.

"Sure, let's go."

She grabbed his hand excitedly and yanked him into the Great Hall.

"Wow," she breathed. "It looks amazing in here!"

"Yeah," James agreed, casually admiring his work. It really did look nice. The gold tables and chairs with silver walls complemented each other very nicely. The diamond chandeliers they had hung from the ceiling seemed to make the room and the people inside of it sparkle. It was magical. Unfortunately, James was in no mood to appreciate it.

James allowed Nikki to drag him excitedly to a table. He sat down reluctantly in a chair across from her and stared down at his empty plate. He muttered filet mignon, and it appeared, but he did not eat it. A large part of James yearned to go back to the Marauders' Dorm, crawl into his bed, and shut the curtains. He had yet to cry over this. He knew he probably should have done something to let his emotions out, and although crying seemed the best way to do so, he couldn't. James didn't know whether his tear ducts were just dysfunctional or if he was still holding on to the alpha-male persona that demanded that REAL men don't cry, but not one drop of moisture had fallen from his hazel orbs. Nevertheless, his grief now seemed to be beyond tears. It was kind of ridiculous, really. It's not like _she_ was dead. _She_ was sitting twenty feet away from James and giggling at something _he_ said. But still, something in James's heart had died when _she_ chose _him_. It was if his heart had forgotten how to beat. The pain hadn't even been fully absorbed yet; he felt as if this was just a horrid nightmare that he would wake up from eventually because this couldn't be real.

"Are you okay, James?" Nikki asked, a slight wrinkle developing on her small forehead.

James looked up guiltily. This was not fair to her. He had asked her to the dance and then completely ignored her all through dinner. "Yeah, sorry."

"It's okay, it's just, well, you look a little preoccupied."

"No, I'm fine. Better than fine, actually," he lied.

"That's good," she replied, and then with glowing eyes added, "Are you ready to dance?"

"Yes," James answered with as much fake enthusiasm as he could muster. He forced himself out of his chair and offered his hand to Nikki. She took it happily, a huge smile plastered to her face. They walked onto the dance floor and James put his left hand on her waist and held her hand loosely in his right. The music was fast and lively. James twirled Nikki around quickly, and her bubbly jubilation caused even his dampened spirits to lighten a little. When the dance was over, James, noticing that Sirius was standing by the refreshment table, offered to go get her a drink.

"How's it going with Icky?" Sirius laughed as James approached him.

"Okay, I guess," James replied vaguely. "I feel kinda guilty about this whole thing."

"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "It's hard to show a girl a good time when you're drooling over another one."

"I'm not drooling over _her_," James protested.

"Mate, I'm a dog. I know drool when I see it. Besides, already sixty of Hogwarts' finest have just shed some at the sight of me."

Again, James suppressed a grin and groaned instead. "What am I gonna do, Padfoot?"

"I dunno, mate," Sirius said, still trying to keep the mood light. "I'm not Remus. He's the sensitive one, I just actually get girls."

"Where is he by the way?" James asked, finally noticing he had not been paying attention to his friends' whereabouts at all this entire night.

"He and Sarah went off somewhere a little while ago. Ahh, to be young and in love. Did you see Rory's dress by any chance? It's very sexy, red, and I just want to take it off of her--with my teeth, preferably.."

James laughed finally. "You have a one-track mind, my friend."

Sirius chortled and nodded in agreement, "I guess we all do when it comes to the women we love."

James's face turned sullen. "Sirius, tell me what I should do, please."

"I can only tell you what I'd do if I were you."  


"What?" James asked desperately.

"I'd show her what she's missing," Sirius said before he thrusted a butterbeer into James's hand and pushed him in Nikki's direction.

James walked towards Nikki and contemplated Sirius's words. He had a point. What could be gained by moping around all night? He _should _have a good time. He needed this, and he owed it to Nikki. So, he left the butterbeer on a nearby table and approached Nikki. He put his arm around her waist and guided her to the dance floor. A slow song was playing. He pulled Nikki close enough to him that there was hardly even an inch between them. They swayed slowly to the music, and Nikki rested her head on James's shoulder as her hands laced themselves around his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, James could see _her_ dancing with _him._ _He_ was once again whispering into _her_ ear. Damn! Didn't that guy ever just talk normally? James decided to take his own efforts up a notch, and so he wrapped his hands even tighter around Nikki's waist and smiled to himself as she took the initiative, leaned up, and kissed him on the lips. James kissed her back and then broke free after a few seconds. He then chanced a glance in _her _direction and saw that a dark frown was overtaking_ her_ face. To his surprise, James could see something resembling hurt in _her _eyes. A huge burst of guilt hit him. He hadn't meant to hurt_ her._ _She _turned back to_ her_ date, and _he_ smiled down at _her_. _She_ did not return the gesture, but muttered something and then walked away from _him_. James watched as _she _quickly made _her_ way out of the Great Hall, picking up_ her_ dress slightly so that _she_ could run.

"I gotta go, Nikki," James said instantly.

"Why?' she asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really sorry," he replied and then broke free from Nikki's grasp and chased after _her_.

_She_ had a pretty good head-start, but James was nearly sprinting after _her_ retreating form. James followed _her_ outside and towards the lake. _She_ tripped over a rock near the water, and James took the advantage to grab _her _hand. _She _turned around and James looked into _her _eyes. The hurt that he had seen previously in the mass of emerald green had changed to a deep fury.

_She _pulled the hair clip out of her hair in frustration and let her curls free as she threw the clip down on the ground. "Who the hell do you think you are, James Potter?"

A/N: don't you just love italicized pronouns? haha. i think that's my favorite thing about this chapter. sorry about the somewhat cliff hanger. though, you guys get off easy. the poor people at hpff had to wait weeks for the next chapter. i'm glad you are reading. please review! and happy harry potter's birthday!!


	20. Lovers' Quarrel

_A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Charm, my soul. I love you, Wands!_

_Previously on _**_Sweet_**_:__  
__She had a pretty good head-start, but James was nearly sprinting after her retreating form. James followed her outside and towards the lake. She tripped over a rock near the water, and James took the advantage to grab her hand. She turned around and James looked into her eyes. The hurt that he had seen previously in the mass of emerald green had changed to a deep fury. __She pulled the hair clip out of her hair in frustration and let her curls free as she threw the clip down on the ground. "Who the hell do you think you are, James Potter?"_

Lovers' Quarrel

James, unable to suppress a smirk, shook his head and replied haughtily, "You do realize, Evans, that when people ask that question, they typically don't accompany it with the full name of the person they're addressing."

"You do realize, Potter, that typically people try not to be assholes," Lily spat back acidly. "But seeing as no one has been able to fully deduce that you are a human being..."

"Funny, Evans."

"Just answer the damn question."

"Such language, Evans," James replied, smirking wider now. "I thought we were just outhere to talk about the weather. Lovely night, isn't it?"

"Keep stalling, and you'll start to hear a lot worse than that, Potter."

"Fine, since you don't seem to be in the mood to exchange pleasantries, I came to see what in Merlin's name your problem is."

"My problem?" Lily asked, dumbfounded. "Are you sure you shouldn't be facing a mirror when you ask that?"

"I'm not the genius who thought it would be a good idea to go with Amos Diggory to the Ball."

"What is so wrong with saying yes to a decent bloke who asks me? It's not like I had any other options!"

"Amos Diggory is not a decent bloke," James said firmly, ignoring the last bit, which stung like hell.  


"Oh," Lily laughed. "That's right. You despise anyone who even so much as looks at me because in your delusional mind, I am your property, or something. I guess it would be fitting to point out the hypocrisy of your situation when I say Icky has just been sunshine and roses all evening."

"Don't call her that."

"Why not? Sirius was right. The nickname describes her with amazing accuracy. I'm actually kind of jealous I hadn't thought of it first."

"She's not like that, okay?" James replied.

"Oh, really?" Lily bated him, her eyebrows rising inquisitively as she put one hand on her hip. "Then I must have been mistaken. It must have been some other girl shoving her chest into your face all night. I should really get Madame Pomfrey to check out my eyes. They have to be extremely dysfunctional if I can't differentiate Icky from someone else, especially with that dress she was, well, can you call it wearing if there is only about a millimeter of fabric?"

"Stop calling her that!" James yelled. "Damn it, Evans! She's a hell of a lot better than your precious Diggory!"

"Leave him out of this," Lily responded threateningly, or as threateningly as she could, being nearly four inches shorter than James, regardless of the fact that her feet felt like they were ready to fall off from the stiletto heels she was wearing.

"No, let's give Wonderboy a go, shall we? That is, if we can find any faults in your perfect Diggory," James finished, practically spitting the name out.

"I'll tell you what's so perfect about Diggory, Potter," Lily said.

"Yeah, and what's that? His dick is so small that he can hold your lipstick there for you instead?"

Lily's need to fight the urge to laugh made her impossibly even angrier at the boy in front of her. She moved a few feet closer to him to make sure that he could hear her as she whispered, "It's that he's not you."

"What?" James asked incredulously.

"You heard me," Lily replied, her volume increasing to nearly a scream. "The reason Diggory is so perfect is because he's not you. He doesn't feel the need to bring down anyone who threatens to wound his enormous ego. He's not an arrogant prick who can't take no for an answer!"

"I think I can handle rejection pretty well, Evans. After all, I've been doing it for seven years."

"And for a good reason!" Lily shrieked. "You go on and on about how much you want me, but all you really care about is the challenge! You've never really cared about me! All you want to do is prove to your Marauders that there is no girl you can't have! No girl who is able to resist the Potter Charm! Well, I've got news for you, Potter. I will not be made a fool of! I refuse to fall for you!"

"Sometimes you can't choose who you fall for, Evans, I should know! Do you think I would have picked the one girl who can't stand me? What do you think it's like loving someone who would rather see you buried in the ground then next to them? Love just hits you, and you can't shake it! You're doomed to love that person forever!"

"Love, that's a good one," Lily said as she chuckled darkly. "You are incapable of love. These so-called feelings you have for me are just the pathetic lusting of an immature seventeen year-old boy."

"No, they are not, Evans, and you know it!" James boomed so loudly that Lily backed away slightly in fright. "Do you think it is easy for me to love you? If you do, then you are just the same naïve little girl you were seven years ago. You always go on and on about how conceited and bigheaded I am. I'll always be the 'arrogant toerag' to you, won't I, Evans?" James laughed hollowly. "I know your tune by heart now, love."

"Don't call me, love," Lily muttered mutinously.

"But have you ever taken a step back to examine yourself, Evans?" James continued, ignoring her completely. This felt good. He had to keep talking and get it all out. "If you did you would see that you are just as stubborn and stupid as I am."

"Stupid?" Lily asked angrily, folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, stupid. Here I am, a guy who would sacrifice anything for you, and you treat me like dung! No matter how hard I try or how many ridiculous requirements of yours I meet, you'll never give me the time of day! Have you even noticed the changes in my behavior? I gave up pranking for you! I spend all of my time studying and writing essays because, Merlin forbid, a teacher scolds me in front of you. I'm the fucking Head Boy! That should have been the owl right there that I am responsible! But somehow, you're still unimpressed. Everything I've done, it's been for you, and it hasn't helped one single bit. And it's killing me! That I care for you this way and you hurt me so much. Sometimes, I wish I could hate you!"

"That's rich, Potter. Do you have any comprehension of how incredibly annoying you are? You haven't stopped pestering since me that moment we met on the train! And you want to know what the worst part is, Potter? I need it. Without you, there is no Hogwarts or magic or even me! I'm only the Evans to your Potter. I hate the constant 'go out with me, Evans,' 

but my day isn't complete without it. And, so I hate you for making me feel this, especially since in your own stupid way you are so sweet, and that makes me hate you even more! Do you have any idea how insanely difficult it is to be mad at you when you go around sending me lockets?" Lily said as she yanked it off her neck and handed it over to him.

"Well you seem to be able to channel your rage pretty well," James muttered darkly as he tried to mask the hurt in his eyes as he put the locket in his pocket.

"I hate you, James Potter!" Lily shrieked. "I hate how you make me feel! I don't want to be around you! I was doing just fine until I met you! I was happy; I was complete! And then you had to ruin everything!" Lily said as she moved closer to James.

"By doing what?" James yelled, thrusting his hands into the air.

"By making me fall in love with you! I'll never forgive you for that, James Potter. You were the last person I ever wanted to love."

"Well, I'm sorry, Evans, but you're just going to have to deal with that!" James yelled, his face merely inches from hers.

"I don't want to!"

"Too bad!"

"How do you do it?"

"Like this," James said as he cupped Lily's face in his right hand and kissed her. Lily froze for a few seconds, but then she began to move her lips just as passionately as James's arm found her waist and pulled her closer to him. Lily's fingers found their way to James's hair and she fulfilled her repressed fantasy to work her way through the untidy mess as James's tongue worked its way into her mouth. Eventually, both had no choice but to break apart for some much needed oxygen.

"That works," Lily said, panting slightly.

"Yeah, it does," James said, his breathing also ragged and shallow, as he smiled down at her. Lily's heart stopped beating. She had never seen him look so genuinely happy. It was like he had a glowing aura around him. It was intoxicating.

"James, I have a confession to make."

"What's that?" he asked, reaching in his pocket to retrieve the locket and then leaning in to clasp it around her neck.

"I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you," she said into James's ear.

"Well, that's a shame, Lily," James said, sighing.

"And why's that? Lily asked, surprised to find that she was laughing.

"Because I know that I'm in love with you."

"Then I guess you'll just have to convince me of the same," Lily teased.

"I should," James agreed before leaning down to kiss her again. Lily seemed to explode with happiness as James worked his magic. He broke off slowly and whispered in her ear, "Convinced?"

"Not yet," Lily replied breathlessly.

He laughed and then covered her mouth with his own once again. All too quickly, he broke free and asked, "Now?"

Lily nodded fervently as James's lips moved down to her neck. "Shall you tell Diggory or can I?" James asked a little too gleefully between kisses.

Gaining back her control, Lily pushed him away squealing, "James!"

"Just kidding, Lils," he said, at least having the decency to seem slightly abashed.

"Sure you were," Lily replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, Lily?"

"Yeah?"

"Happy New Year," James said smiling.

"Happy New Year," Lily repeated and returned his smile. She kissed him quickly on the lips, and James laughed and swung her around till her feet were inches off the ground.

"James! Put me down!"

"As you wish," James sighed, putting Lily down. He ran his fingers through her red hair and smiled at the scent of lavender. "You know, I do love you in black."

"Especially when it's combined with revealing?"

"Especially."

Lily giggled. "I guess we better get back to the Ball. It should be nearly over by now." She began walking towards the castle and then held out her hand for James to join her. Hand-

in-hand, they made their way toward the castle.

"I wonder what everyone is going to say now that we're together. We are together, right?"

"Forever and ever, Lily," James said as he opened the door to the castle for her.

"James Potter, you are such a sap."

"Isn't that why you love me? Because I'm sweet?"

"Did I say that? I meant to say it was because Sirius was already taken and you were the best substitute I could find."

"Oh Sweet Merlin!"

"What? You do know I was joking?"

"Yes, but I have to go tell Sirius the news right away!" he answered her before hastily kissing her and rushing off in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Is this how things are going to be from now on?" She called down the corridor. "We snog, and then you rush off to tell your boyfriend?"

"Love you too, Lily!" James yelled over his shoulder as he continued sprinting.

* * *

A/N: okay, hopefully you guys will stop telling me how mean i am now. haha. though, i did very much enjoy it. in a sick, twisted kind of way. i like this better, though. ahhh. love. it's so good. if you want to say something a little less generic than that (and i hope you do) there's a lavender colored button down there. and we all now how much james loves lavender.


	21. Man Love

Man Love

"Sirius! Sirius! You're never going to believe this!" James yelled as he did a very manly pirouette-like turn around himself and then continued to sprint down the corridor to the Fat Lady.

"Password?" she asked in amusement, an eyebrow raised at his peculiarity.

"Montalbano," he said quickly and then added, "hurry!"

The Fat Lady eyed James warily. Her eyes raked from the bottom of his untied shoes to his loose bowtie and extraordinarily untidy hair. "Keep your pants on," she said, disgruntled, as she allowed him to enter. "Never mind, I think you with your pants off might be more enjoyable," she finished with a wicked grin, but James was already halfway up the stairs.

"Sirius! Where the hell are you? I've got to tell you something! It's really important! Sirius!" James bellowed as he ran up the stairs, taking them three at a time. He swung open the door and ran inside the Marauder Dorm. "Sirius! C'mon, mate! Padfoot!" James shrieked, nearly running straight into Sirius. James threw one hand onto Sirius's shoulder form support and the other onto his own knee as he attempted to force oxygen through his lungs after his nearly full kilometer sprint. "Sirius!" James panted. "You're never…gonna…outside….fighting….then…," and then James started hyperventilating.

"Woah, mate," Sirius replied worriedly. "You don't look too well. Maybe you should sit down."

James allowed for Sirius to steer him to his former bed, saying between gasps, "but —I—have—to—tell—you—"

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait till you're breathing properly."

James just shook his head 'no.'

"Merlin, Prongs. What'd you do? Snog Evans or something?"

James's face burst into a huge smile, and he nodded.

"Bloody hell! No wonder you're hyperventilating! She must have beaten you to a bloody pulp!"

James shook his head triumphantly. He was still flushed, but his breathing was coming out in a slower rhythm. "No, Padfoot, she didn't! She kissed me back! I can't believe it! I kissed Lily Evans! _I _kissed _Lily Evans_! _I kissed Lily Evans!_And then, _Lily Evans_ kissed _me!_

"Tongue?"

"Yeah."

"Nice."

"And then, she said we were 'together'! Together Sirius! As in her and me together! Do 

you have any idea what that means?"

"You have to pay for everything and be more understanding of the concept, 'no does not mean stick your hand further up my skirt, Sirius'?"

"That's not exactly the 'together' I was thinking of," James laughed.

"Oh, and I suppose your together is being sickeningly in love and gazing longingly into each others' eyes while holding hands at Madam Puddifoot's."

"Merlin, I hate that place," James cringed.

"I think everything with a y-chromosome hates that place, mate," Sirius agreed.

"But yep, that's what I meant for the most part about being together. Oh, and heated snogging, of course."

"That's more like it," Sirius said, satisfied. "So how did you come to be exchanging spit with the fair maiden anyway? Didn't she read the fine print on the firewhiskey bottle or was any guy acceptable after spending that long of a time with Diggory?"

James beaming face almost turned to a frown at the name, but after a moment he was radiating cheerfulness again. "Nope," he replied serenely.

"Lose a bet? Because if she's that desperate, I could just loan her a few galleons."

"Padfoot!" James yelled in a scandalized tone as he whacked Sirius in the back of the head. "She loves me!"

"And you're sure it wasn't a love potion or was she under the imperius curse? Quick, what's her favorite flavor of jam?"

"Raspberry," James said offhandedly. "But no, Sirius, girls don't have to be under some type of influence to be in love with me."

"But I'm here! Why would anyone give you a second look?"

"Sirius!"

"Just joking, Prongs. In all seriousness, mate," Sirius began.

"Well, what else would you be set in?"

"Don't know. Longbottom's dial seemed to have a permanent stick charm to frankness if you catch my drift." James and Sirius both snickered. "I'm really happy for you, James. I know you've been waiting for this to happen for a long, long, LONG, damn, mate, you really never understood the phrase 'Get the hell away from me, Potter,' did you?"

"Continue with the heartwarming moment please, Padfoot," James said, gritting his teeth.

"Oh, right. And if anyone deserves to get what he wants, it's you."

"Sirius, I—" James started.  


"No, let me finish. I guess what I want to say is, I love you, mate."

"Oh, Sirius, I love you, too!" James responded before engulfing his friend in a huge embrace.

A few moments later and with James and Sirius still hugging, Remus walked into the dorm looking flustered. "Guys! I have to tell you something! I—Wait? What are you guys doing?"

James and Sirius broke apart as if they were on fire.

"Is there something you two want to tell me?" he asked amusedly, cocking up one eyebrow. "Do the Sirius Black and James Potter fan clubs need to start looking up gender-changing potions?"

James turned a bright pink, but Sirius only snorted in response. "There's nothing wrong with a public display of man love," he replied, developing his classic swagger and throwing an arm around Remus's neck. Remus rolled his eyes and shrugged his arm off.

"Absolutely right, Padfoot!" James agreed, also throwing an arm around Remus. "I do appreciate some good man-on-man lovin.'"

"James, the only man-on-man lovin' you would enjoy is if one of the men happened to be a redhead."

"Nah, do you remember Arthur Weasley?" James laughed. "I'd never date him. He's too skinny. I like my men strong and able to protect me."

"Like me!" Sirius declared.

"Exactly," James, replied, nodding his head. "Sirius is exactly the type of guy I would go for."

"Gosh, James," Sirius said, pretending to blush. "I'd date you too. What do you say? Three Broomsticks this weekend? I'll pick you up around three?"

"Think about the children," James swooned.

"You guys are weird," Remus said, laughing.

"Never claimed to be anything but," Sirius agreed, sniggering as well.

"Oh!" James called, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm as he recalled his new fondest memory. "Moony! There is something I have to tell you—"

"No," Remus said. "I have to say something first."

"But, Moony, you really want to hear this tonight—"

"No, James, really, I should go first."

"But, Moony—"  


"I had sex," Remus blurted out.

"WHAT?" James and Sirius yelled in unison.

"I had sex," Remus said calmly and as though he was trying to convince himself. "_I_ had sex. _I had sex_. I, Remus J. Lupin, had sex."

"With Sarah?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.

Remus smacked him in the back of the head. "Of course with Sarah, you prat."

"How?" James asked in shock.

"Prongs," Sirius laughed. "I know you and Evans are only at the snogging stage, but you should know how these things are done. Didn't anyone ever tell you the truth behind the cauldron and the wand? For Merlin's sake, you are a Marauder."

"You snogged Lily?"

"You had sex!"

"I'm the sexiest beast alive!"

"Sirius!" James replied indignantly.

"What?" Sirius asked in offense. "I am."

"_You_ snogged Lily?" Remus asked in amazement.

"Yep," James said grinning from ear to ear. "And you really had _sex_?"

"Yeah," Remus said quietly. "I really did."

"You know, I'm kind of surprised that you don't say 'makin' love', Moony," Sirius said. "It seems just like one of the other pathetic understanding phrases that were made for you."

"Haha," Remus faked laughter. "You know, I might be sensitive, but I am a man. And men, excluding you two, do not say makin' love."

"Why aren't we included?" James whined.

"The man lovin' before?" Remus reminded him.

"I am still a man!" James announced. "I would prove it to you, but that wouldn't really help my case, now would it? How about I have Lily prove it you guys?" he finished with a wicked grin and a lustful glint in his eye.

"So Lily actually kissed you?" Remus asked.

"Yeah," James sighed. "It was wonderful. You know the first time you hold a broom?"

"Every night man," Sirius said with a smirk.  


"Padfoot!" Remus squealed.

"Sorry, continue."

"Okay, now that Quidditch is completely ruined for me," James said. "It was like everything just clicked; it was so simple. And yet, absolutely amazing at the same time, you know?"

"Yeah," Remus agreed. "I know exactly what you mean."

"What's sex like?" James asked.

"It's good."

"Cool."

"Yep."

"Everything work?"

"Yeah."

"Wow," James sighed. "It's a wonderful day to be a Marauder."

"I couldn't agree more, Prongs," Remus replied.

"All this talking about snogging and shagging is making me feel left out," Sirius pouted. "I think I'm going to find Rory and make up some stories of my own."

"Be sure to give us all the gory little details when you get back!" James replied.

"I happen to be a gentleman," Sirius said as he made his way towards the door.

"You, a gentleman?" James scoffed.

"Well, at least I don't kiss and tell," he finished with a wink before leaving the Marauders' Dorm and closing the door behind him.

James and Remus just merely looked at each other and started cracking up.

Sirius walked down the steps and found Peter.

"Hey, mate, you just getting in?"  


"Yeah," Peter answered. "I had to say goodnight."

"Did you have a good time? You seemed pretty preoccupied the entire night."

"Oh, that? I guess I just caught up in the moment. You heading out?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Okay, Padfoot," Peter said as he climbed up the stairs.

"Have fun with those two!" Sirius called over his shoulder.

Sirius made his way down the stairs and walked across the Common Room towards the steps leading to the Girls' Dorms. He brandished his wand and tapped it on the staircase while muttering the countercharm so that the steps would allow him to use them. He quickly took the stairs two at a time until he found the Seventh Year Girls' Dorm. His first instinct was to just open the door, but he decided to knock as it was the more polite thing to do.

"Yes?" he heard a girl's voice call from inside.

"Is Rory in there?" he asked.

He could hear giggling, but then someone answered, "Yes, hang on, she'll be out in a second."

Sirius smiled to himself and rested his arm over the top of the door. A few minutes later, Rory came out, her hair and make-up still in place from the ball, but she was wearing jeans and a pretty red top that Sirius thought brought out the redness in her lips.

"Hey," he said, grinning down at her.

"Hey," she returned.

"Fancy a walk?" he asked, extending his arm to her.

"I do enjoy walking," Rory said with a smile as she took his arm.

"Good exercise really," Sirius said with a grin.

"Oh yes," Rory agreed, returning his smile. "It never hurts to be conscientious about your health."

Sirius and Rory continued travelling through the castle without really saying anything in particular.

"Where are we going, Sirius?" she asked after a long bit of silence.

"I want you to see something," Sirius answered her vaguely.  


"Alright," Rory replied, still a little unsure.

Sirius guided her up the stairs of the Astronomy Tower.

"Why are we going up here?"

"Shhh," he quieted her. "You'll know in a minute, but for now, you need to close your eyes."

"What are you going to do to me if I do, Sirius?" she asked testily.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Nothing like that doll, just close your eyes."

She stuck her tongue out at him, but then obeyed. Sirius grabbed her hand and steered her towards the center of the tower.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" she asked impatiently.

"Nope," he teased, and for good measure, he covered her eyes with his hands in case she decided to peak.

"When can I?" Rory huffed.

"Now," he said quietly into her ear as he removed his hand.

"Wow," she breathed, as she looked up into the sky. "Sirius, this is amazing."

The night sky was filled with what seemed like millions of stars all shining bright and clear. It was breathtaking.

"The Daily Prophet said there wasn't going to be that much cloud cover later today. I guess they were right for a change."

Rory laughed, and shivered as she nodded her head.

"You're cold," Sirius stated.

"No, I'm not," she argued, but the slight chattering of her teeth gave her away.

"Here," Sirius said as he removed his dress robes' jacket and placed it around her shoulder.

"Thanks," she said as she rested her head on his shoulder and gazed at the sky. "It's beautiful," Rory sighed.

"So are you," Sirius replied, as he put his hand on her jaw and tore her gaze away from the stars.

"Yeah," she agreed, not quite meaning his eyes. "When I'm wearing a Ball dress and spend hours getting ready."

Sirius shook his head in disagreement and laughed lightly. "No, you're beautiful all the time, although I must admit, tonight you did go beyond the call of duty. It was hard to 

describe, but you were and are breathtaking," he whispered into her ear.

Rory smiled. "I'm very sorry."

"Why?" Sirius asked as he stroked Rory's face with his thumb slowly.

"I didn't mean to deprive you of oxygen. I know it is essential for survival."

"I don't need it," Sirius said with a grin as he brought his lips over hers. Rory gasped, but began moving her lips in rhythm with his and slowly allowed for her arms to make their way around his neck. She could feel Sirius's lips curl into a smile as he deepened the kiss. Rory played with the hair at Sirius's nape that always seemed to curl under as he ran his hands along her waist, bringing her closer to him. When she was starting to feel lightheaded, Rory broke off.

"No," she said, panting. "I think oxygen is kind of important."

"Overrated," Sirius grinned before kissing her again. This time it was with more eagerness and passion. Rory found herself clutching to Sirius out of fear that her weak knees would cause her to collapse. Sirius, seeming to notice this, moved both of them over to a wall and pressed Rory against it without ever breaking the kiss. Rory smiled and broke away from him —after a fashion.

"Aurora?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," she said breathlessly.

"I love you," Sirius said slowly and cautiously as he searched her eyes for her reaction. He had never said this to anyone before, well, besides James. But this was a huge step. He had just said the "L" word to a girl. He had now given up all the manly pride he had spent nearly seven years gaining. And the worst part was, he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen next.

Rory smiled. "I love you, too, Sirius."

Sirius let out a relieved sigh and beamed down at her. "Thought so," he said, his eyes sparkling with delight as all of his troubles seemed to float away. "Now," he began, as he ran his fingers through her dirty-blonde hair, "About your pesky little oxygen needs."

"Yes?" she asked, playing along.

"I'm going to rid you from them."

"And how, may I ask," Rory said with a knowing grin. "Do you plan on doing?"

Sirius replied with an impish smile, "I have my ways."

Meanwhile, Peter was questioning James and Remus.

"Wait, hang on a moment. Are you guys really saying that James snogged Lily and Remus had sex with Sarah?" Peter asked doubtfully.

"Yes!" James assured him. "It really happened!"

"Well, I'll be damned," Peter replied in amazement. "No wonder Sirius had to get away, you guys have had quite a night."

"Yeah," James and Remus both said as their minds wandered blissfully through the day's events.

"It's been a hell of a day," James finished.

A/N: hey, guys! i took a brief break from my reading of breaking dawn to post 21 for all of you lovely sweet readers. thanks for all the awesome feedback!! just a quick note to you all: sweet is 32 chapters. don't worry! this wasn't the end! (also, how great are the conversations between the marauders? haha. they make me laugh. silly little boys.) please review! i'm off to more edward now!


	22. Some Enchanted Evening

Some Enchanted Evening

James smiled as he slipped his hand, which had been rubbing Lily's back repeatedly in small circles through her white uniform blouse, underneath her shirt. His fingers stroked her smooth white skin, and Lily let out a very soft moan.

"James," she warned him quietly, giving him her best attempt at a stern look.

James only smiled a little wider, seeing through her feeble effort to get him to stop. "Lily," he whispered seductively past her curly red hair, letting his lips stay very close to her ear much longer than necessary.

"Miss Evans?"

Lily sat up, bolt right, and her face turned nearly as red as her hair. James let out a small chuckle and let his hand slowly make its way out from under her blouse.

"Can you please tell me why it would be inadvisable to mix bloomskang skin with the Draught of Living Death?" Professor Slughorn asked as he gestured towards the potion sitting on the table in front of him, which he had just clearly been informing the class about.

"I don't know, Professor," Lily said for the first time ever in Potions class. Slughorn was flabbergasted. He stared at Lily for a second or two, nonplussed, but then snorted with appreciation.

"My, my, Mr. Potter," he said good-naturedly. "You've certainly got Miss Evans here under your spell. I don't think I've ever seen her so--distracted," he finished finally as though he had been searching for the appropriate word.

"I do my best, sir," James replied, suppressing a laugh by forcing the back of his hand over his mouth.

"Ah, to be young and in love," Slughorn said as he shifted his gaze to the contents of the potion in front of him, obviously reminiscing over some event from his past. "Now, Mr. Lupin, as to not bother such a lovely couple, would mind informing the class what--?"

Lily stopped listening to him. She turned to look at James. "That was not good," Lily said through gritted teeth.

"That was nothing, love," James whispered back.

"I've never been unable to answer a teacher's question before!" Lily exclaimed in a hushed tone.  


"Do you want me to stop distracting you then?" James asked as his right hand made its way through Lily's red curls and up to the nape of her neck. Lily's eyes fluttered close as he started massaging her neck.

"Yes," she finally managed to choke out. James smelled so good. It was a musky sort of smell that was mixed with the scent of fresh soap and other wonderful things. Plus, James, who had pushed his chair very close to her own being their Potions table, was emitting warmth that only 185 pounds of a six-foot, seventeen year-old boy was capable of doing. And his fingers were heavenly.

"No, you don't," James replied so quietly that Lily had to lean in even closer to him to hear his words.

"Yes, I do," Lily said, being stubborn despite the fact that they both knew that she was basically on the verge of swooning.

"Later then," James said as he abruptly removed his hand from her neck and inched his chair over. "We're patrolling tonight," he added with a grin.

"Later," Lily echoed him, feeling as this was the first time she had begun to breathe normally since she entered the classroom, and that had not been from the fumes rising from the many cauldrons inside the room.

"Hey," Lily greeted James warmly, looking up from one of the many essays she had written that week, and gazing at a drenched boy clad in scarlet Quidditch robes, Nimbus in hand.

"Hey," James replied back. "I gotta go--"

"Shower," Lily finished for him.

"Yeah."

"Don't take too long," Lily said in a coy voice.

James smiled and darted off to the bathroom. He stripped off his wet uniform that had been clinging uncomfortably to him and hopped into the shower. Within minutes, he was dressed, primped, and back in the Heads' Common Room, eagerly waiting for Lily to put down her essay so that they could begin their patrol.  


"That was fast," she stated, giggly slightly.

James merely shrugged in response, trying to achieve an air of nonchalance, which was ruined when he grabbed Lily's hand and nearly ran out of the Portrait Hole.

"So how was practice?" Lily asked.

"Alright," he replied. "I think our chances for the cup are pretty good this year. Merlin knows we've been training like maniacs. We just really need to focus on the next game and we'll make it to finals."

"That's great, James!"

"Yeah," he agreed. "How was the rest of your day?"

"Fine, I suppose. I spent some time in the Gryffindor Tower with Rory and Sarah and then did some homework after dinner.

"That sounds very productive of you," James said in a voice that was half-teasing, half-soothing at the same time.

"Indeed," Lily responded, unable to stop staring into the pair of hazel eyes hidden by spectacles in front of her.

"And with all that working I bet you could use a distraction," James said as he tore his gaze from the painting he had been pretending to find interesting to look into her eyes.

"Mmmm," she agreed as James moved closer still.

"I offer you my services then," James said.

"It is later," Lily whispered and then gasped as James suddenly let go of her hand, favoring her waist instead. His lips immediately found hers, and they began to kiss as though they had been wanting to all day long, which they had. James's lips began to curl into a smile as he took the hair tie out of Lily's hair and began running his fingers through her locks, something she was already doing to him. Their tongues entwined, the couple staggered through the deserted corridor, bumping into walls and nearly knocking over a knight-in-armor.

"Merlin, Potter, you are good at this," Lily panted as James finally broke the kiss and let Lily up for air. He however, continued to kiss her neck.

"You aren't that bad, either, Evans," James replied between kisses, finding the use of surnames oddly intriguing. He sensed that Lily's knees were going a tad wobbly so he pushed her up against a wall for support and, cupping his face in one hand and bracing the 

wall with his other, his lips found hers once again.

Meanwhile, Remus and Sarah were talking in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"What I am trying to say, Sass, is that," Remus began again, his face showing signs of immense concentration and self-control. This was his third attempt at getting his point across. He just didn't want to do it wrong and upset her. "I don't want you to feel like you have to have sex with me."

"Why?" Sarah asked jokingly. "Was I that lousy of a shag?"

"No!" Remus exclaimed loudly, his eyes bugging slightly. Then, seeing the people now eyeing him curiously, he added quietly, "You were amazing. It was….wow. I don't think I've ever felt like that before."

"Then why don't you want to do it again?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Because I don't want to be some jerk boyfriend who only wants to have sex with his girlfriend and nothing else. And I would never--?"

"Remus," Sarah cut him off, placing a finger onto his lips to silence him. "You are not and never will be 'some jerk boyfriend.' You are Remus John Lupin, the werewolf boy of my dreams. I love you, and," she added with a grin, "It took me two years to get you into bed. You think I'm gonna give all that up just after one time?"

"I believe it was two times," Remus said, smiling despite himself.

"Oh, right," Sarah ammended, blushing a little.

"Want to make it three?" Remus asked, reaching over to touch Sarah's face.

"Remy! Whatever happened to make you go from the quiet little bookworm to this?" Sarah squealed.

"I am, first and foremost, a Marauder," Remus stated proudly.

"But you've always been a Marauder," Sarah pointed out.

"Not until I met you," Remus replied before kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Let's go," Sarah decided as she grabbed his hand and headed exited the Common Room.  


"She'll be out in a minute," voiced a bored sounding girl from behind the closed door.

Sirius grinned at the lack of enthusiasm in this girl's voice. Sure, it had been the fifth time this week he had collected Rory from her Dorm, but still.

Rory appeared in record time, and, judging from the eye make-up lining her blue eyes and purple halter-top she was wearing, she had been clearly anticipating his arrival.

"Ahh," Sirius murmured appreciatively as he kissed her gently for a second. "You look beautiful."

"You say that every night, Sirius," Rory said, blushing a little but also rolling her eyes.

"And it never ceases to be true."

"Astronomy Tower?" she asked as Sirius put his hand on the small part of her back and guided her out into the corridor.

"I dunno," Sirius mused. "You might get cold," he added as he eyed her halter-top with a little too much enthusiasm to be considered casual interest. "May I suggest a change in scenery for tonight?"

"Fine by me," Rory said as she gazed into Sirius's dreamy gray eyes.

"M'lady," Sirus replied as he held out his arm for her to take.

"Sirius, you are too chivalrous for your own good."

"Let's just see how long that lasts, shall we?" he laughed wickedly before scooping Rory into his arms and snogging her, well, senseless as he walked the two of them to the Room of Requirement where he found--

"Remus?"

"Is that Sirius?"

"James?"

"And Lily?"

"Hi, Rory!"

"You too, Sarah?"

"So this is a tad awkward," Remus stated, gesturing to the couples, all of whom with swollen slips and disgruntled hair as well as clothing.

"Just a tad?" Lily asked.

"It's not that bad. Remember that one time your mum found us after that one dare back in the summer of fifth year when we--?"

"Yep," James agreed, hastily cutting Sirius off before he could do some real damage. "That was worse."

Lily faked a yawn. "I'm tired," she lied. "Want to head back to our Dorm, James?"

"Alright, Lily," James replied, ruffling his hair with his fingertips. "I think we can cut our patrol short tonight. I felt that it was very thorough."

"I'm sure it was," Sirius smirked.

"Bye, guys!" Lily rushed before she and James darted off in the other direction.

"I think Sarah and I should get going as well. We've got some important business that needs attending to," Remus said.

"Right," Rory replied. "Don't want to keep you two from doing anything, important," she added the last word with a meaningful glance at Sarah, who shrugged innocently.

"Bye, you two! See you tomorrow!" Sarah called over her shoulder as she and Remus also left and walked rather quickly down the corridor.

"Finally," Sirius breathed.

"Now, Sir Sirius," Rory started, "Why exactly have you brought me here?"

"Well," he began, smirking, of course, "As any chivalrous knight knows," he opened the door for Rory to reveal a dim-lit room that was laden with butterbeer, chocolate, flowers, 

and containing a large red couch. "One must create the right mood if he has any hope of removing the fair maiden's halter-top."

"Mmmm, Lily," James said as he broke their kiss.

"I was not finished yet," Lily whined as she leaned down from where she was perched on top of James to kiss him again.

"As much as it pains me to do this," James said sadly as he forced Lily to sit up on the couch they had been using. "We have to stop now. I need to talk to you."

"Okay, hit me," Lily said, but then looking at his confused face and realizing that this was James she was talking to, added, "not literally. What do you want to talk about?"

"Well, Lils," James began. "We've been together for about two weeks now, and I think that--"

"Sweet Merlin, Potter, you are not breaking up with me!" Lily shouted. "I will curse you so hard that even with all the healers in St. Mungo's help you will never be able to sit properly on a broomstick again. How could you do this to me? You spent seven years trying to get me and this is it, two weeks? James Potter, you are going to rue the--"

"Lily!" James screamed over her conniption. "Lily! Calm down," James said, standing up to push down her arms and cup her face in his hand. "I'm not breaking up with you. I just wanted to say that I think we should go on a real date. You know, do something nice."

"Oh," Lily said, blushing furiously. "Oh," she repeated sheepishly.

"Yeah," James said, smiling hugely. "So, 'never be able to sit properly on a broomstick again,' huh?"

Lily smiled apologetically.

"You know what you getting that mad means though, don't you? James asked.

"What?"

"You really love me," James said smiling.

"Yes," Lily said, looking up at the ceiling for help. "Dear Merlin, I really do."

"I love you too," James replied.

"So when is this big date going to be?" Lily asked.

"Friday?" James responded.

"It's a date."

James smiled and kissed Lily very sweetly and passionately. When she broke free, Lily asked, "You like that, don't you? You and I going on a date, I mean."

"You have no idea," James replied, sounding a tad breathless.

"Good," Lily said, giving James one last slow kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, James."

"Night," James replied as if in a trance as he watched her walk to her room, her hips swaying left and right, and then finally giving him one last glance before she shut her door.

A/N: hey, guys! hope you liked this chapter!! sirius is quite yummy in it if you ask me. thanks for reading! please review?


	23. First Date

First Date

"James! Your incessant pacing is driving me crazy! Sit down!" Remus exclaimed after having to watch James walk up and down the Marauder Dorm for the better part of the last hour.

"Yeah, it's not like Evans is going to get upset if your calves don't look perfect in that mini-skirt you were planning for tonight," Sirius joked.

"She won't?" James asked hopefully as he momentarily stopped moving. "Oh, wait--" he said, turning red. "Sirius!"

"James Potter, you are a disgrace to men everywhere," Sirius announced.

"Am not!" James argued reproachfully.

"Are too!" Sirius insisted.

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Idiots!" Remus interrupted their back-and-forth.

"Yes!" they both shouted simultaneously, which caused Remus to smirk, his point proven.

"As much as it pains me to say this," Remus voiced from where he had been watching the two boys argue from a nearby armchair, "I think Sirius is right."

"What?" Sirius and James both asked in unison once more, shock clearly etched over their rather attractive faces.

"James," Sirius said, regaining his swagger. "Moony, here, is merely pointing out what I've known all along. Besides from the obvious, which is that I am the sexiest thing to ever grace the wizarding world, he's saying that when it comes to Evans, you are reduced to the mental capacity of a teenage girl."

"Well, sometimes that's a hell of a lot better than the mind of a teenage boy," Remus 

pointed out.

"Not true," Sirius stated. "Teenage girls are far too whiny."

"Yes," Remus conceded. "But teenage boys are far too randy."

'There's nothing wrong with that," Peter said, smiling, as he walked into the Dorm and plopped down into the nearest chair with an exhausted sigh.

"Where were you?" Sirius asked. "Moony and I have had to deal with an overzealous Prongs for nearly an hour all by ourselves."

"Detention," Peter answered him roughly with another tired sigh. "McGonagall made me polish everything in the Trophy Room again. It was the second time this month!"

"Minnie did that? She always makes me serve my detentions with her in her private quarters reviewing 'Transfiguration'."

"Sirius, one of these days your sick McGonagall jokes are going to stop being funny, even to you," Remus said, disgruntled.

"Then we should thank Merlin that today is not that day," Sirius replied triumphantly.

"So what were you guys doing before I got here?" Peter asked, rolling his eyes at Sirius.

"Just discussing Prongs's steady progression into a girl," Sirius informed him in a bored voice.

"That again," Peter replied. "Honestly, why his mum didn't just name him Jasmine and get it over with."

"You guys!" James yelled indignantly over their laughter. "Will you just give up on the 'James is a girl' nonsense? It's not funny after seven years! It seems like whenever we aren't mocking Sirius, we are poking fun at my masculinity. Don't we have anything else to talk about?"

"Prongs," Remus began. "Half the stuff we waste time talking about has ceased to deserve even a snicker since First Year, but your manliness, or lack thereof, will never get old."

"Much like my immaturity!" Sirius exclaimed proudly.

"Come on," James insisted. "This is really important to me. I'm taking Lily on our first date. It has to go without a hitch!"

"Prongs," Sirius started, clapping his hand onto James's shoulder. The girl has snogged you to a point in public, no less, where even I had to look away, allowed you to take her mind 

away from her studies, and she used the "L" word, and you are worried about one measly date."

"It's not just any date, Padfoot," James argued. "It's our first date. It has to be perfect, or they were will be no point in telling Andrew and Hannah about it."

"Who's Andrew and Hannah?" Peter asked, confused.

"Our grandkids," James explained as though this was a simple fact that Peter should have remembered.

"James, maybe you should lie down for a little while or take a potion or something," Remus said, looking more than a little worried for his friend's sanity.

"Mate, you've got it bad, real bad," Sirius voiced in awe.

"I know," James said as he swatted Remus's hands away and settled himself down onto his former bed and lied down onto his back. "I just really--"

"We know," Sirius sighed.

"Which is exactly why we will do everything in our power to make sure that your date with Lily goes smoothly," Remus said in a soothing voice.

"Down to the very last zipper, mate," Sirius laughed.

"Merlin," James said, sitting up in his bed so fast that one of the pillows fell down off the bed. "What am I going to wear?"

"See what we were saying about him not having any males parts?" a guffawing Sirius asked Peter.

An hour and nearly forty outfits later, James began walking, well more like jogging, towards the Heads' Dorm. For reasons unbeknownst to him, James could not seem to cease the rapid beats of his heart or his sweaty palms that had nothing to do with his rather fast movements. His head was swimming with all the advice he had just received from his friends.

_"Tell her she looks nice," Remus had said._

_"But don't say hot or fine because for some reason girls don't seem to like that much. I have no bloody idea why. If a girl came up to me and said my butt looked particularly fine today, I would take that as a compliment," Sirius had then stated._

_"You would," Peter was the first to point out._

_"Be polite and make sure you open doors for her like a decent bloke," Remus had replied then, rolling his eyes. "Just make sure you ignore any advice Sirius has ever given you, and you'll do fine."_

James smiled to himself as he gave Violet the password and walked into the Heads' Common Room. "Miss Lily Evans," he called loudly. "Are you ready for the best night of your life?"

Lily laughed from inside her room, and James could faintly hear her mutter, "Maybe the best night of yours."

James smiled at her impertinence, and waited for another minute or so for her to emerge out of her room. He fought the urge to lower his jaw as he saw Lily in tight jeans, heels, and a cerulean blue low-cut sweater. Her eyes were outline in black, her hair was half-up with large curls tumbling down, and his silver locket was displayed around her neck. James swallowed and then began to speak. "You look, Lily, wow, I mean…." James stammered.

"Thanks," Lily laughed, leaning up to give James a kiss on the cheek. "You look 'wow' too."

"Thanks," James replied, remembering the black v-neck cashmere sweater he had put on with tan pants. It had taken him so long to pick it out, and, yet, it seemed like ages ago now.

"So are you going to tell me where we are going?" Lily asked, impatient from all the secrecy James had been so adamant about throughout the week despite some heavy persuasion from her part.

"Nope," James said with a smile, and before Lily could even open her mouth to ask another question, James put an arm around her waist and guided her out of the room saying, "Don't worry, Lils, you'll like it, I promise."

"I better," Lily said, trying her best to sound cross.

As they reached one of the doors that exited the castle, Lily looked at James reproachfully. "Isn't it a tad cold?"

"Don't worry," James spoke softly. "I'll keep you warm."

Lily smiled and snuggled up into James's chest, closing her eyes as she breathed in his scent. When she opened them again, they were standing in the Quidditch Pitch. Only, it didn't look as it usually did. It had hundreds of candles floating around producing enough light to keep the entire pitch visible and some type of charm had been performed to keep out the winter temperatures. In the middle of the pitch, there was a table for two laden with food.

"Oh, James," Lily gasped. "This is positively amazing."

"I'm glad you approve," James replied, holding out Lily's chair for her so she could sit down. Lily beamed at him, and James took a branch from the bouquet of lavender that decorated the table and placed it in Lily's hair before sitting in his own chair.

"Okay, so what do we eat first?" Lil asked, her eyes sparkling as they scanned the many covered dishes scattered around the table.

"Well, let's take a look," James answered her as he feigned interest in a covered dish to his right that he already knew the contents of.

"Chocolate fudge," Lily laughed as she opened her own tray and then seeing James's tray, added, "treacle tart! James Potter, did you get all desserts?"

"You did say you liked me because I am sweet," James said carefully, unsure as to how she would take this.

"You are something, James Potter," Lily replied before taking a bite of a chocolate-covered strawberry.

"Ready for phase two?" James asked after they had both finished eating.

"What's phase two?" Lily asked suspiciously.

"You didn't think we came to the Quidditch Pitch just for the romantic hoops did you?" James asked, grinning, as he pulled out his Nimbus from underneath the table.

"James, if you think that I am going to hold on to you as you fly us around in the moonlight," Lily said teasingly.

"That's what I thought," James laughed before retrieving another slightly older broom from the table. "This is for you."

"I don't think so," Lily laughed, grabbing James's nimbus and soaring at least fifty feet into the air. "C'mon, Potter, I'll race you."

James smiled to himself before mounting the other broom and flying after her. It was a surprisingly close match. Lily, who was a decent flyer, had the advantage of the Nimbus, but James, who had years of training and the ability to make innuendos when flying, won out in the end.

"What's the prize for winning, Potter?" Lily asked flirtatiously once they were back on the ground.

"The loser holding on to me as we fly around in the moonlight," James answered mockingly as he waited for her to get onto his Nimbus with him.

Lily rolled her eyes but then did as he asked. Before she could get properly settled, however, James jerked the broom upwards, making Lily shriek in surprise and fling her arms around James's waist. He smiled as this was his desired result. Once they were about seventy-five feet in the air, James turned around and with one hand holding the broom steady, he used his other to move Lily's hair out of her face.

"Are you having a good time?" James asked her quietly.

"Yes," Lily replied. "Only I wonder, do you do this with all of your girlfriends?"

James shook his head in reply. "Sadly, no one else besides you has experienced this evening. I've had is saved for you since First Year when I first thought it up when I asked you out on Halloween.

"You planned our first date seven years ago?" Lily asked with surprise.

James laughed. "See, aren't you glad you decided to say yes? A perfectly romantic night would have been wasted!"

Lily nodded and then leaned in to kiss James saying, "Phase three."

James smiled as his lips moved against hers and brought both of his hands up to her face to kiss her more deeply. Eyes closed and tongues, well, busy, neither of the two noticed the broom start to slowly decline in altitude. At about thirty-five feet or so in the air, the broom was speeding down to the ground much faster and Lily opened her eyes in shock. "James!" she cried, startled.

"What?" James asked, opening his eyes, as well. "Oh!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening as he felt the broom descending. Lily screamed as James jerked the broom forward mere feet above the ground. Lily was about to sigh in relief, but the sudden movement of the broom cause her and James to be thrown off the broom and onto the ground.  


"Ugh," Lily groaned, picking up her hand from James's chest. "I guess this what you get for falling for James Potter."

James laughed and still holding on to Lily's waist since the fall, rolled over so that he was now lying on top of her. "That's better," James said smiling. "Now where were we?"

"Nice work with the broom, Moony," Sirius congratulated Remus with a pat on the back quietly from where they were hiding from the couple in the stands of the Quidditch Pitch.

"Well, I figured Prongs might need a little help with the date," Remus admitted. "He did say he wanted it to be perfect."

"So he can tell Andrew and Hannah," Peter snickered under his breath.

"I think we can get going now," Sirius stated with a quick glance at the snogging couple. "Prongs at least has that part of dating down pat."

* * *

A/N: ahh. james finally got to go on a date with miss lily evans. isn't he just giddy? haha. i'm not gonna share any spoilers, but i finished reading breaking dawn two days ago, and since then, i've described myself as being "fictionally giddy." haha.

ohh, and just to clarify things. this story (though not as grammatically correct) has 31 out of the 32 chapters on it. (32 is coming in about a day, though.) if you are impatient, i suggest you go to . my penname is the same. however, please don't just go to read. make an account for yourself! there are thousands of great stories there. also, if you review there, i can respond to it, which is the only setback that i've discovered from . thank you so much for reading! again, feel the lavender done there! i bet if you press it, magical things will happen!


	24. This Should Be a Kick

This Should Be a Kick

James, you were bloody brilliant!"

"Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen anyone perform like that!"

"Err, thanks!" James replied as he tried to appear modest by shrugging nonchalantly. "I can't really take all the credit, though. I've been told more than once that I have a natural gift. I guess it's just something in my genes."

"I know plenty of guys who would give anything to reach your standard!"

"The way you handled that ball was amazing! I don't think I've ever seen it go so long before without getting boring!"

"Thanks, again. Hey, you guys? Is this conversation starting to sound vaguely dirty to any of you?" James inquired.

"Starting?" Sirius asked incredulously. "Mate, I've been laughing this whole time."

"I bet that the entire Ravenclaw team is trying to wash away that match right now," Rory stated proudly, ignoring Sirius, as usual.

"Okay, now it is definitely very dirty," James concluded, shaking his head.

"Oh, James! Stop spoiling the victory with your constant innuendos!" Lily laughed. "We beat Ravenclaw 370 to 120!"

"Still!" James insisted. "We have a hell of a lot of work to do before the Final against Hufflepuff. Our plays are sloppy and unoriginal, and if we want to have any hope of defeating those friendly gits and ending up with the Cup--"

"James, come on!" Sarah interrupted him.

"I'm just saying that we shouldn't let one measly win go to our heads."

"Merlin, Lily, what have you done to the poor boy?" Rory asked, looking skyward.

"Oh, James, with you it's always life or death until Dumbledore hands you that bloody Cup," Remus sighed.

"I thought that phrase was 'it's not over till Minnie snogs me'," Sirius laughed.  


"Sirius!" Rory squealed, slapping him on the arm.

"Sorry, love," Sirius apologized with a shifty grin.

"Let's just go to the party," Lily said. Remus, Sarah, Rory, and Sirius started walking towards the Gryffindor Tower, but James held Lily back with his arm combined with a meaningful look.

"We'll catch up with you in a couple of minutes, okay, guys?" James called down the corridor and then added, "Don't do anything fun until we get there!"

"Yeah, because the Head Boy and Girl have always been known as positions for wild party machines!" Sirius shouted back to James, causing both groups to snicker.

Lily turned to James and placed a hand on her hip firmly. "James, why aren't we going to the party? You do know that Quidditch will exist again tomorrow, right?" she teased.

"Yes, I do," James laughed.

"Then why aren't we going to the after-party? Sarah and Remus snuck plenty of food from the kitchens to feed even Sirius, and the Common Room is all decorated, and--"

She was cut off by James's lips pressing eagerly onto her own.

"All our friends are there," Lily said between kisses. James only smiled against her lips in response to this, however, because it was quite clear to him that from the way Lily was playing with his hair, they were going to be remaining in the corridor for a while.

"Okay," James announced as he finally stopped kissing Lily and took a step back. "We can go to the party now."

"Good," Lily replied a little shakily. "And why couldn't we have gone fifteen minutes ago?"

"One minute of kissing you for every goal I scored," James answered her simply.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

"What?" he asked.

"You're going to have to score a hell of a lot more goals at the Quidditch Final."

James took Lily's hand, and they both walked to the Gryffindor Common Room, laughing the entire way.

"James!" Several Gryffindors shouted as he walked into the Gryffindor Common Room with Lily. Before he could even take in the scene, James was bombarded with Gryffindors, all of whom wanted to either congratulate him, get him to give them a play-by-play of the game, or in some cases, snog him senseless--but that was only a few girls, well, mainly.

"People, come on! Give the boy some air! Do you want to screw up our chances for the Final by suffocating the Captain?"

At this, all the people who had been surrounding James backed up at least five feet so quickly it was almost as if he had transformed into Severus Snape on a particularly greasy hair day.

"Thanks, Padfoot," James said gratefully as he ruffled his hair and tried to regain his composure.

"Not a problem, mate," Sirius assured him as he threw his arm over James's shoulder.

"So how much fun did you have without me?" James asked, smiling at his friend.

"Not a bit. I kept to very strict rules. There was no fun, nor flirting, and certainly no merriment of any kind while you were gone."

"Oh Merlin, Sirius, you really didn't do that, did you?" James asked worriedly.

"No," Sirius admitted with a heavy sigh. "I reckon they just did that because they had one too many butterbeers. To be quite frank, Prongs, Rory and I have been preoccupying ourselves pretty well as we waited for you and Evans to get here. Speaking of which, Evans, may I interest you in a butterbeer?"

James laughed. "I suggest you take him up on that offer, Lils. The punch has probably already been spiked with firewhiskey," James added with a pointed glare at Sirius, who shrugged innocently but then smirked, giving himself away.

"Okay, well, I'll be back, James," Lily called and winked back at James as Sirius guided her towards one of the many tables scattered around the room that was laden with food.

"So, Evans," Sirius began.

"So, Sirius," Lily said, trying in vain not to laugh at Sirius's serious expression and then the inevitable pun that came to her mind afterwards.

"You're dating James," Sirius continued tonelessly.

"Yes," Lily replied, not quite sure what he was getting at. She tried to keep a straight face, but it was impossible.

"He's my best friend."

"I know."

"And I would do anything for him."

"I know that too, Sirius. What's this all about?" Lily asked with confusion written all over her face.

"I don't want him to get hurt," Sirius said, his gray eyes boring into Lily's green ones.

"Oh, Sirius! I would never--" Lily assured him.

"I know you would never mean to, but James loves you more than even you know, and, Lily, I need to know that you feel the same way about him."

"You called me Lily," she said in a daze.

"Yeah," Sirius replied offhandedly. "You promise?"

"I promise, Sirius," Lily vowed. "I've never felt for anyone the way I do for James."

"Good," Sirius replied as though he had just settled a deal on a new cauldron. "Now as to get you good and drunk, Evans," Sirius said, grinning at Lily, who was giggling at his sudden change in demeanor.

"Rory, maybe it would be best if you stayed away from the punch. Knowing your boyfriend, it has definitely been spiked," Remus advised her warily.

"Oh bite me, Mum," Rory laughed at him. The color drained from Remus's face, and his eyes bulged. "Oh! I didn't mean! It's just, you know, a figure of speech," she babbled.

Remus began to sink back into his chair, his body releasing the tension it had just been under. Sarah, who was sitting on Remus's lap on one of the couches towards the back of 

the Common Room, laughed merrily.

"Don't you mind him, Rory," she said. "Remmy always gets like this whenever his 'furry little problem' is brought up. No matter how many times I assure him it's not the apocalypse, he remains so stupidly obstinate," Sarah concluded, pecking Remus on the cheek.

"Sorry if I don't think it's should be every girl's dream to date a monster," Remus muttered under his breath, but with Sarah sitting so close, she could still hear him.

"Personally, I see no problem with having fuzzy feelings towards something fuzzy," Sarah laughed as she reached her hand up to tousle Remus's sandy brown hair.

"Yeah, and doesn't some of that animal magnetism transfer into the bedroom?" Rory asked with a wink, causing both Remus and Sarah to blush.

"Hey, guys!" Peter called as he strolled towards the group.

"Hey, Peter: Remus replied, relief exuding from him now that someone had broken up the awkward silence that had ensued after Rory's comment.

"Some game, huh?" Peter directed at Rory. "The ending was so amazing when you and Sirius sent that bludger after Ravenclaw's seeker, and nearly knocked her off her broom. You two make a great pair."

"Thanks, Pete," Rory replied. "Have you seen my other half roaming around anywhere, by any chance?"

"I saw him talking to Lily a few minutes ago by one of the refreshment tables."

"Thanks," Rory said, giving him a smile. She then turned, picking up her drink, to address Remus and Sarah. "I'm going to go get a refill, okay?" she said before downing the contents of her cup. Suddenly, she spit it out and back into her cup. "You were right, Remus," Rory spat as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Definitely firewhiskey."

Remus and Sarah laughed as Rory squeezed her way through Gryffindors and searched for Sirius. Finally, she found him talking to some Fifth Year girls who kept re-crossing their legs and looking up at him from underneath their eyelashes as he talked to them.

"Sirius!" Rory squealed, dragging him away by his collar with a glare in the girls' direction. She dragged him by the collar and pushed him up against a wall in a less crowded part of the Common Room.

"Rory!" Sirius replied back happily.

"The punch?" she asked him angrily.

"What can I say?" he responded with a dazzling smile and a shrug. "I wanted to get you smashed. Who knows? It might have been very beneficial for both of us. Although, this is a nice turn of events as well," he added, motioning to their current position. "I'd much rather be with you than all of those other girls right now."

"Ugh, Sirius!" Rory muttered, smiling despite herself. She folded her arms across her chest and moved away from him.

"Hey," Sirius said lightly, lifting her chin up to look into her eyes. "Forgive me?" he asked irresistibly.

"This time," Rory sighed, painfully aware of the inevitability of her answer.

"Good," Sirius grinned. "Because I want to dance with you."

"There isn't even any music playing," Rory pointed out dryly.

"Like that could stop Rory Daniels and Sirius Black?" Sirius scoffed as he guided her to the middle of the room. With a flick of his wand, a slow song started playing, and he put his arms around Rory's waist. She sighed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You can be an idiot a lot of the time, Sirius," Rory said quietly after they had been swaying to the music for a few minutes.

"But," Sirius urged her.

"But what?" Rory laughed teasingly.

"Here's the part when you say something redeeming about me," Sirius said, laughing as well.

"Oh, well, then," Rory continued thoughtfully. She made a show of thinking intensely for nearly a minute before sighing and saying, "There must be something."

"Rory!" Sirius cried.

"Right," she chuckled. "Well, as long as we are talking about 'butts,' I daresay you have a rather nice one."

"I can live with that."

"They seem to be having a good time," Lily mused, motioning with her hand toward the dancing couples.

"Indeed," James agreed, looking at his best friends dancing with their girlfriends and then back at Lily.

"So, James, you've just led Gryffindor to the Quidditch Final for the third year in a row. What are you going to do next?"

"I am going to ask the most beautiful creature in the world to dance with me," James replied.

"Oh, really?" Lily teased.

"Yeah, do you think Rory would mind if I take Sirius off her hands for a few minutes?"

"James!" Lily exclaimed, whacking a smirking James on the arm.

"Dance with me, Lily?" James said, offering her his arm, which she took.

"Why I ever had to fall in love with a guy who is so clearly infatuated with his best friend is beyond me," Lily moaned.

"If only everyone could be so lucky," James replied, pulling Lily closer to him.

"Yeah, I guess things could be a lot worse," Lily whispered in James's ear as she linked her hands together around his neck.

* * *

A/N: lots of couples doing couple like things. i hope you enjoyed this chapter. thanks for reading! oh, and just a quick ruse to get you all to review, which harry potter book is your favorite?


	25. V Day

V-Day

"Now, I know that tomorrow is Valentine's Day," Professor McGonagall hesitated on the word like it was a curse word or something as equally dreadful. "But that is no reason why your Transfiguration abilities need to dwindle," she continued sternly, her eyes glaring around at the N.E.W.T. level class. "Mr. Black," she said with a sigh. "Do I really want to know why you have transfigured you lips to be five times their normal size?"

"Sorry, Minnie, I guess I got carried away," Sirius said with a wink. "I just wanted you to notice me. I've loved you for all these seven long years, you see."

"Mr. Black, my office tomorrow," Professor McGonagall shrieked, her lips nearly as thin as a piece of parchment.

"Oh, Minnie! I just knew you felt the same way! What time do you want me to pick you up, Valentine?" he asked roguishly.

"You will be serving detention with me, Mr. Black. I do not date students," she added stiffly.

"Say, Minnie, I'm graduating in nearly four months, can I owl you?"

"Mr. Black, your detention will be scheduled sometime next week after this nonsense holiday has been wiped from your system."

"But, Minnie!" Sirius retorted, but stopped when he was kicked swiftly in the shin by Rory.

"Sirius!" she squealed. "I want to spend our first Valentine's Day as a couple with you--for Merlin knows what reason--so shut the bloody hell up!"

"Save the feistiness for tomorrow, love. I'll be the one looking devilishly handsome, and you can swear something to show off those legs of yours, which go all the way up to the Astronomy Tower," Sirius replied wickedly. Rory punched him in the arm, but could not hide the grin starting to form on her face.

"So as I was saying, with human Transfiguration, it is often times crucial to--"  
Just then, the dinner bell rang. The Seventh Years all began to scramble around, trying to get their books together. McGonagall announced over the clatter, "Your essays are due next class, and I expect them to be of better quality than your last assignment. Mr. Potter, if you could stay behind for a moment, please?"

James nodded and then told Lily not to wait for him. When everyone else had left the classroom, James walked up to McGonagall's desk. "Yes, Professor?" he asked.

"Mr. Potter, I have spoken with the Headmaster, and he has agreed to allow you and Miss Evans to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow evening as long as you return before curfew."

"Oh, thank you so much, Professor," James replied, smiling broadly. He coughed and stuck his hands in his pockets in an attempt to seem aloof. "This will be very beneficial to Miss Evans and I concerning Heads' Duties."

"I'm sure, Mr. Potter," she said, not even bothering to try and hide her disbelief. "Just try and do something for me," McGonagall added briskly.

"Anything, Professor," James said, still beaming.

"Do try to win the Quidditch Final against Hufflepuff.

"No problem, Professor," James replied breezily. "This is Gryffindor's year.

"That's nice to hear," McGonagall sighed.

"Bye, Professor," James said as he turned to leave the classroom.

"Oh, and, Potter," McGonagall called.

"Yes?"

"Is there any way you can try to control Mr. Black?" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Professor," James responded, stifling a laugh. "That I cannot do."

"So what did Professor McGonagall want?" Lily asked, slipping her hand into James's as they walked back from dinner.

"Oh, you know," James laughed. "She's grown tired of Sirius's antics and wanted a real man to be with for a change."

"James!" Lily exclaimed, shoving him away from her and crossing her arms over her chest. "Rory might put up with those jokes, but I am certainly not going to."

"Sorry, Lils," James apologized.

"What did she really want?"

"Head Duties," James replied slowly, which wasn't exactly a lie, considering he had 

mentioned it to McGonagall, albeit it had just been a phony excuse, but still.

"Then why wasn't I there, as well? I was the Head Girl the last time I checked."

"Damn, you're good," James said under his breath.

"I know," Lily quipped, bringing her arms even closer to her chest.

"Fine, you caught me. I'm failing Transfiguration," James lied pathetically.

"James! Just tell me what is going on!" Lily insisted.

"What if I said it was a surprise?" James asked, stopping suddenly and turning to face Lily.

"A surprise?"

"A surprise," James repeated as he reached out to play with one of Lily's red curls.

"Does this surprise have anything to do with tomorrow?" Lily asked.

"Maybe," James teased, his lips moving along the vicinity near Lily's left ear.

"And I suppose that tomorrow's being Valentine's Day has never even crossed your  
mind, right?"

"Of course not," James said, his lips currently resting at the hollow of Lily's neck.

"And that I shouldn't expect anything special," she continued, her voice shaking slightly.

"Nothing of the sort," James replied. They had reached the Portrait Hole to their Dorm.  
After entering, Lily began walking toward her room. "Hey,Lily!" James called.

"Mmmm?"

"Make sure you wear something nice to our 'nothing' tomorrow."

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Sirius said as he, James, and Remus approached their three girls at breakfast the following morning.

"Sirius, you look bloody ridiculous," Lily said, snorting into her pumpkin juice.

"I'd like to think I look rather fetching, actually," he replied, posing in his outfit, which 

consisted of a tight red spandex unitard covered only by heart-adorned boxers.

"Oh, sweet Merlin, what have you done with my boyfriend?" Rory gasped finally in horror.

"I'm right here, love."

"No," Rory argued. "My Sirius is occasionally attractive when he's not being an ass."

"Your words, they hurt me," Sirius replied, grabbing at his heart and pretending to look wounded.

"Not at much as that outfit hurts our eyes," James laughed. "Moony, you reckon it's been long enough?"

"Yeah, I think we got our point across," Remus said, laughing as his eyes swept across the shocked faces in the Great Hall. He then flicked his wand, and Sirius was in a pair of jeans and a dark blue sweater.

"So, are any of you going to tell us what that was all about?" Sarah asked.

"Truth or Dare," Remus replied.

"And Sirius picked the wrong one," James finished for him, smiling to himself.

"It was worth it, though," Sirius stated. "Apart from an honest day's work, I've never backed down from a dare, and I never will. Anyway, happy Valentine's Day, girls!" he concluded, throwing up his arms.

"Thanks, Sirius," Sarah laughed. "You too."

"Oh, there's nothing like Valentine's Day! A whole holiday designed for guys to be hit on by girls. What could be better?" Sirius asked.

"How about having girlfriend who makes all those other girls seem meaningless?" Rory spat dryly.

"That's good, too," Sirius said meekly.

"I have to agree with Sirius," James said. "Valentine's Day is alright."

"It's okay, I guess," Lily replied, gazing up at James, who winked at her.

"I dunno," Sarah pondered. "Before Remmy came along I wasn't really big on the whole Valentine's thing. I guess it all depends on whether or not you have someone to share the day with."

"And I'm the luckiest guy with a ferocious rabbit in the world because I get to spend my day with you," Remus replied as he snuggled Sarah into his chest.

"Gag reflex," Rory said. "Merlin, you two, it's eight in the bloody morning. Must you be so disgustingly in love?"

"Yep," Remus replied.

"I'm gonna go to the Owlery or something. I'm not hungry anymore," Rory decided, throwing down her muffin. "See you all later."

Sirius stood up after her. "Where the blonde goes, I go." His eyes bulged. "I've still got the boxers on," Sirius smirked, checking underneath his sweater.

"Like I really wanted to change that," Remus answered, rolling his eyes.

"Bet you Rory will."

"I'm going to get going, too," James said as he stuffed one last piece of bacon into his mouth. "I've got loads to do. Bye for now," James said to Remus and Sarah before kneeling down to whisper in Lily's ear. "I'll pick you up at six. Be ready."

"James, what are you planning?"

"Remember, something nice," James replied, ignoring her question completely and kissing her quickly on the lips.

"Rory!" Sirius yelled as he sprinted down the corridor, trying to catch up to her. "Wait up, Rory!"

"Sirius!" she cried, turning around. "What are you doing?"

"What? A guy can't talk to his girlfriend all of a sudden?"

"We were talking before," Rory pointed out. "There were words, dare I say, sentences exchanged."

"Well, maybe I want to talk to you more privately."

"We're standing in the middle of a corridor," Rory said flatly.

"Then we should go in here," Sirius said as he nearly pushed Rory into a broom closet.  


"I should have known that you were planning this all along," she muttered. "You always have an ulterior motive, Sirius Black."

"What can I say?" Sirius shrugged. "I'm a man who knows what he wants."

"And that would be?" Rory asked teasingly.

"I think you know."

"Still, I've had a very tiring morning. Maybe you should help me."

"Okay," Sirius agreed gently before he began to kiss Rory softly.

"That's better," she stated.

"Not bad for a guy who's only 'occasionally attractive,' huh?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"You know you're fit," Rory replied, rolling her eyes.

"But I don't know if you think so," Sirius teased. "I think I am in need of some reassurance."

"Git," Rory laughed before leaning up to kiss him again. "Better?" she asked after a fashion.

"Yes, Rory, love, now I am fully prepared to snog you senseless."

"Well, it is Valentine's Day."

"So what are you guys doing today?" Lily asked Sarah.

"I don't know. Maybe we'll go to the Room of Requirement later, or something."

"Sirius already called the Astronomy Tower," Remus remarked.

"Interesting, so…." Lily said, feigning interest in her now cold oatmeal. "Do you have any idea where James is taking me?" she blurted out finally.

Remus chuckled. "You've waiting all morning to ask that, haven't you?"

"Yes," Lily admitted sheepishly.

"Sorry, Lily. I can't tell you. James would murder me if I did, and frankly, I value my life.  
You're just going to have to wait and see."

"Bullocks."

Too slow for Lily's liking, six o'clock finally rolled around. When James walked in, precisely on time, wearing a black suit jacket over a white dress shirt, Lily was waiting 'patiently' on the couch. As soon as she saw him, Lily sprang up.

"For you," James said, giving her a small bouquet of lavender.

"Thank you, James," Lily cooed, sniffing the flowers. "So," she continued, spinning around. "How'd I do with the whole 'something nice' concept?"

"Dreadful," James answered, eyeing her low-cut red top, black pencil skirt, and red pumps. "I said to look nice, and you look phenomenal. Every bloke is going to be trying to steal you away from me."

"If it's no good, I can change," Lily offered.

"Silly, Lily," James laughed, shaking his head. "You are so beautiful. Are you ready to go?"

"Yes!" Lily exclaimed eagerly.

"Then let's get going."

"Aren't you going to tell me where?"

"Nope."

"James Potter, you and your surprises," Lily huffed.

As they approached the horseless carriage, Lily grabbed James's arm. "We're leaving the castle?"

"You don't honestly think I got you all dressed up to stay in school, do you?" James asked.

"Up you go," he added as he helped her into the carriage and then followed her in. Lily spent the rest of the ride trying to convince James to tell where they were going, but he 

remained obstinate. Finally, when they had entered Hogsmeade, and they reached their destination, James turned to Lily and said, "We're going to a restaurant." He paused to let the message sink in and to watch her expressionless face. "What? No snappy reply?" he laughed, but Lily's mouth gaped. James had brought her to the fanciest place in Hogsmeade.

"James, I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Relax, Lils," James replied soothingly. "I've already made our reservations." Just then, the hostess came out and guided the couple to the best table in the restaurant.

"Can I get you two anything?" she asked.

"Some drinks would be nice."

"Of course, Mr. Potter."

"James," Lily breathed, looking around. All of the walls were made of glass, and there was a sparkling on the furniture that could only have been caused by diamonds. Everything was perfect down to their little square table to the rose petals scattered along the floor. "This is amazing," she sighed finally.

"I thought you'd like it," James replied, smiling at her. A waiter came and brought them their drinks, and James ordered something that sounded Italian, seeing as it wasn't a menu type of place. "You'll like it," James assured her.

And she did. The food was amazing, the soft music playing in the background was perfect, and she was with James. They still had at least four more courses to go when James turned to her and said, "You want to get out of here?"

"We can't!" Lily replied, scandalized. "We haven't finished yet! It would be rude!"

"Oh, they'll get over it," James said as he clanked a rather large bag of galleons onto the table, grabbed Lily's hand, and dashed out of the room. James quickly grabbed their coats, and they ran out of the restaurant.

"I can't believe we just did that," Lily said, laughing loudly and holding onto James for support.

"It was getting stuffy in there," James told her as he loosened his tie. "I wanted some fresh air. Besides, the stars are lovely tonight."

"What's next?"

"Chocolate."

"Good idea."

Holding a bag that was filled to the brim with all different sorts of Honeydukes' chocolate, James walked Lily over to the Shrieking Shack.

"We can't go in there!" Lily said, realizing James's intentions. "It's haunted!"

"Oh, Lils," James laughed. "Where's your Marauder spirit?"

"Precisely, James, spirit, as in evil ghosts that haunt that house!"

"Since when has evil ghosts translated into four teenage boys?"

"What?"

"Where do you think Remus goes to transform?"

"Oh, Merlin," she gasped.

"Let's go inside."

"You sure?"

"Oh, come on," James laughed as he picked Lily up, bridal-style, and brought her into the shack.

"Cozy," Lily commented, eyeing the ripped cushions and broken furniture.

"What can I say? We're animals!"

Lily laughed and plopped down on the sofa. James joined her and draped his arm across her shoulder. Lily sighed and closed her eyes, relaxing her head on James's chest. After a few minutes of silence, James broke Lily out of her reverie. "Hey, Lils?"

"Yeah?"

"There's something kind of important that I want to talk to you about."

"Okay, what is it?" she asked.

"Well, you see, I've been thinking about his a lot lately, and well, I think, what I mean to say is, er, I mean, uhh…."  


"James," Lily laughed. "Spit it out."

"Idon'tthinkweshouldhavesextilwe'remarried."

Lily laughed. "Could you repeat that for me?"

"I don't think that we should have sex until we're married."

Lily just blinked at him. "Oh," she said finally.

"Yeah."

"Uh-huh."

"Yep."

"Alright then."

"Okay."

"So how did you come to this conclusion?" Lily asked.

"Well, I know you've always sort of thought that I was just after you for a shag, but I figure, if we get married first, that's commitment."

"James, you don't have to prove anything to me."

"I know that, but I want to do this, or rather not do it," James corrected himself with a grin.

"It's because you don't want to have sex with me, isn't it? You don't want me."

"Merlin, Lily, I think we both know that you make my hormones rage like crazy, but I just want my first time to be with you when you'll be mine forever."

"You're a virgin?" Lily asked, bewildered.

"Louder, Lils. I don't think Dumbledore heard you."

"I can't believe this!"

"What did you think I was a manwhore or something?" James teased.

"No, but you're a Marauder, and I always just figured you were more experienced than I was."  


"Well, I've done a lot of other stuff," James admitted. "But not that."

"So, no sex," Lily confirmed.

James laughed. "No sex."

"Merlin, you're romantic, James. Candlelight dinner, chocolate, abandoned shack, and the chastity speech. How I ended up with the only moral Marauder, I'll never know. Even Remus gets to have sex."

He chuckled in response.

"Let's just see how long this holds up," Lily laughed as she kissed James.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lily," James whispered as he pushed a stray piece of hair behind Lily's ear.

"Happy Valentine's Day, James."

"Merlin! We've got to go! McGonagall is going to skin me alive if we miss curfew."

"Oh, James."

A/N: the title of this chapter makes me laugh. i'm just immature that way. so, james reveals his virginity in this chapter. hope you enjoyed it. this is a tad awkward. thanks for reading!


	26. Girls Are Mean

Girls are Mean

"Remind me again why we are taking this class," James complained as he tucked his hand under his jaw and stared into the depths of the milky white orb that rested on the table in front of him.

Sirius sighed from his chair opposite of James's. He barely eyed the crystal ball before replying, "We need to spend quality time together, Prongs. You know, away from the girls."

"I just don't understand why we have to take this class of all classes. I mean, it's Divination! It's the most useless class ever invented. I wonder why Hogwarts even offers it."

"James," Sirius laughed as he rocked his chair back onto its hind legs. "It's a rubbish class that we use for guy time. Take it for what it is."

"I can hang out with you without having to take Divination," James rebutted.

Sirius merely shook his head and laughed once more. "No, you really can't. If Evans is even in a 100 meter radius, you are reduced to the mental capacity of a chocolate frog."

"Why the frog?" James asked.

"You know, mate. They've only got one good hop in them."

James joined in with Sirius's snickering. "Well," he began after he had managed to maintain a straight face. "You aren't much better when Rory even enters a room. I think you drool then more than you do as a dog."

"Touché," Sirius praised James as they both started to laugh again.

James laughed. "So that is why we take Divination. We need to get away from the women in our lives."

"I thought that was why we took History of Magic," Sirius mused, thinking out loud.

"No," James replied, shaking his head. "That's for general Marauder bonding. We put up with this nonsense for strictly you and me time apart from Remus and Peter."

"We did say we needed time away from the girls in our lives," Sirius laughed.

"So Divination is absolutely necessary."  


"Disastrous things would happen if we didn't spend enough time together," Sirius voiced with a touch of sarcasm.

"Astronomical," James agreed.

"The plague would be released."

"Typhoons would wipe out millions of muggles."

"Fan girls would forget how to swoon."

"Because the hottest guys to ever exist would no longer be in the same room," Sirius finished for him with a cocky grin.

"Exactly," James chortled. Sirius laughed as well but then kicked James in the shin. "Bloody, ow! What the hell was that for?"

Sirius shushed James and then jerked to his right. "Professor Vague dost approacheth," he muttered out of the side of his mouth. James hid his grin as he directed his attention back to the swirling mist that resided inside the crystal ball. Professor Vague, although he did not always know what was happening in his classes, did not usually condone his and Sirius's behavior. His threatening to keep them in detention for the rest of their academic lives after they had started to bewitch objects to fly across his room in a faux Quidditch match comes to mind, for some reason. However, his odd, spacey attitude had resulted in Sirius's nicknaming him Professor Vague. In fact, they had been referring to him as that for so long, James could not even recall his real name.

"Mr. Potter," the man said, peering down at James with a far-away look in his eyes, as though he was concentrating on something much more important than the final class on a Friday afternoon. "Could you please predict Mr. Black's future for me? I'm sure this should be riveting."

"Sure, Professor," James replied, making an effort to not use his actual name. He glanced at the ball with skepticism. He was never very adept at Divination and was shocked when he had managed to scrape an _Exceeds Expectations_ on his O.W.L. Nevertheless, he did not hold the subject in any esteem, so he had never exactly tried in class. "Er," he began, scratching his head. He looked at Sirius for help, but he was focusing too hard on not bursting out into fits of laughter to be of any use. James decided to abandon all hope of trying to be the least bit accurate and just went to the old stand-by. He made something up.

"Sirius is going to have a life-changing decision to make in the coming future, which will result in the demise of many," James invented wildly as he directed his gaze back up to 

Professor Vague. He did not even dare to look at Sirius, who, by now, had forced his fist into his mouth to stop the guffaws of laughter from being heard.

"Very good, Mr. Potter," Professor Vague complimented James. "It's good to know that you have not forgotten the basics of Divination," he added as he left them to go speak with another table.

Just then, the dinner bell rang. James sighed. He and Sirius gathered their books and quills and tucked them into their bags in a rush. As soon as the two exited the classroom, they both exploded with laughter. Sirius, who was hunched over with his hands on his knees for support, turned to James.

"A life-changing decision?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh you know," James chuckled. "Tomorrow you are going to have to decide whether to wear black socks or charcoal ones. The whole world hangs in the balance!"

"Nothing like making up a load of rubbish for such a bollocks class," Sirius replied, clapping his hand on James's shoulder.

"Let's go eat," James suggested.

"Good idea," Sirius replied. "I'm starving."

"Sirius, learn to eat with your mouth closed," Rory said disdainfully.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed. "You eat like an animal."

"A mangy dog," James, whose own eating habits were also a little less than satisfactory, chimed in as well.

"I think that there is only one Marauder who actually has decent manners," Lily stated.

James sat up a tad straighter, ready for Lily's extolling.

"Remus," all three girls said in unison and then laughed at the outraged expressions on Peter's, Sirius's, and James's faces. However, the funniest by far was Remus, who had turned a bright pink and had attempted to hide behind a plate of baked potatoes.  


"I can be polite!" James directed towards Lily.

"_Can_ being the key word," Lily muttered into Rory's ear.

"I'm polite!" Peter argued, not noticing practically everyone at the table rolling their eyes.

"I, Sirius Black, am the quintessence of a gentleman."

"Where'd you learn such a big word, Sirius?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, they don't have them in the how-to-read section," James added with a smile.

"I peruse the occasional novel,' Sirius said as he took another bite of his chicken.

"He means the occasional adult novel," James murmured in an undertone to Peter, who promptly spit out his pumpkin juice.

"Gross, Pete!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Here you go," Remus said, offering Peter some napkins and putting his hand on Sarah's knee to calm her down.

"Moony" James asked. "How is it that you always get the girls?"

"Yeah," Sirius added. "Even our own girlfriends like you better!" he pouted.

"The trick is to not behave, well, the way you two do," Remus replied.

"I think it has something to do with his little bunny," Sirius stated.

"'Little bunny?'" Sarah asked skeptically.

"His 'furry little problem,'" Sirius rephrased, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, he's damaged goods," James said.

"Thanks, Prongs," Remus muttered.

"He just means that you have that whole 'trouble life' aspect that girls go crazy for," Sirius explained.

"That's me," Remus spat sarcastically. "How about next full moon I just bite you two dunderheads?"

"Thanks, mate!" Sirius replied.  


"Oh, Sirius," Rory sighed. "You are so much cuter when you don't open your mouth."

Sirius grinned and wrapped his arms around Rory, bringing his lips to her ear. "I think you would miss my tongue, love," he whispered tantalizingly into her ear.

As he did this, two Hufflepuff girls walked by. One of them, a blonde with a rather pointed noise, turned to her friend. "Look at Sirius Black with that girl," she said rather loudly as she pointed out the couple.

"I know," her friend replied acidly. "I thought they would have broken up by now. She must be a good shag."

"That's the only reason he would keep her around."

Rory turned around to stare at the two girls with the iciest glare she could muster under the circumstances.

"Oh," the first girl said, fully aware that everyone knew that Rory had been listening the whole time, but pretending like she was unconscious of the fact. "Hi Whory, I mean, Rory," she corrected herself before grabbing her friend by the arm and walking back to the Hufflepuff table, giggling the entire time.

"I'm gonna go," Rory said, dropping her fork down next to her only half-eaten dinner. "I just remembered that I have to do something," she added before hastily leaving the table and nearly sprinting out of the Great Hall.

"I need to go follow her," Sirius told his friends as he left the table and rushed after her.

"Rory!" Sirius shouted as he ran down the corridor after her. "Rory, come on!" he yelled again as he glimpsed Rory's dirty blonde ponytail round the corner. "Rory," Sirius said finally as he stopped and found her looking out a window with her back to him.

She did not say anything in response; she merely stared out the window as though she was admiring the cloudy weather.

Sirius pulled at his tie in an exasperated manner. "Love, don't listen to anything those bloody girls say. They're just two idiots trying to get a rise out of you."

Rory wiped a single tear away from her cheek before turning around to face Sirius. She was frustrated with herself for letting those two ruddy girls get to her, a tad annoyed with Sirius for not really grasping what was going on with her, and above all, pissed at those bitchy 

girls. "You just don't get it, Sirius," she said.

"Then help me," Sirius pleaded.

Rory took a deep breath. "It's not just today," she said "This is the sixth time in this past week that I've overheard people saying rubbish about us being together. Well, mainly, it's just something rude about me. I just freaked this time because all of my friends were there to hear it, too. And you were there," she finished, looking up at him.

"Rory, you know none of it is true, right? I'm not in this for a shag. You aren't just some girl to me. This is different."

"You say it is, Sirius," Rory began, "but do you really mean it?"

"Of course I do!" Sirius exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Have I ever given you any reason to doubt me?"

"No," Rory replied. "It's just that I don't know if I can take much more of this."

"Are you saying that you don't want to be with me anymore?" Sirius asked, unable to hide the hurt look on his face.

"Of course not!" Rory answered. "But I don't want to be called 'Whory and Black' ever again."

"Then we'll just have to give the pathetic girls of Hogwarts something else to call us."

"Like what? Sirius Black and the girl he is currently dating?" Rory asked dryly.

"Well, I was thinking something along the lines of Sirius Black and the girl he is madly in love with."

"It's a tad long, don't you think?" Rory replied, smiling despite herself.

"Aurora Black sounds pretty good to me," Sirius suggested.

"Aurora Black," Rory tried out the name, enjoying the way her lips formed the words. "It has a ring to it, but I don't know if it's that simple, Sirius."

"We can make it that simple."

"How?" she asked.

"First off," Sirius answered. "We'll 'accidentally' set off about a hundred or so dumgbombs in the Hufflepuff Common Room, and then we'll take things from there."

Rory laughed. "I guess this is the price for dating Sirius Black," she sighed.

"I'm sorry," Sirius replied quietly. "I wish there was a way I could change that."

"I'll manage," Rory said. "Those girls don't scare me."

"I'd bet a million galleons you could take them," Sirius laughed. "We could even throw some mud in there to make it more--"

"Sirius!"

He threw his head back and laughed. When it had subsided, he said, "I love you, Aurora Daniels."

"I love you too, Sirius."

Sirius engulfed her in a warm embrace and then kissed the top of her head before pulling away. Hand-in-hand, they walked to the witch's statue, the nearest secret passage way to Hogsmeade, to see a man about acquiring some dungbombs.

Later that night, James and Lily were patrolling the second floor for delinquents out after curfew. The night had been rather uneventful so far. All they had found was a second-year couple snogging in a broom closet when they were about to do the same.

"My feet hurt," Lily announced suddenly. She wiggled free of James's grasp around her waist and turned around to face him. James took a step backward in surprise. They had been silently strolling through the barren corridors for the past 45 minutes and then suddenly--

"My feet really hurt," Lily reiterated with a wince.

"Maybe that's because you've been wearing those torture devices called shoes for the past week and a half, Lils," James suggested.

"They are not torture devices!" Lily argued. "These happen to be very fashionable shoes!" she added, lifting up her left foot to show James.

He eyed the shiny red pump warily. It was strappy and had a long, spindly heel that looked like it might snap if a particularly strong gust of wind happened to come through the 

corridor.

"James!" Lily squealed as she noticed his gaze had left her foot and was now slowly traveling up to the hem of her black skirt. She whacked him on the arm.

"Hey!" James replied, holding his hands up in surrender. "It's not like I told you to wear them!"

"It's just that you are so much bloody taller than me!" Lily explained.

"Sorry, Lils, I'll go back I time and change my DNA, okay?"

"I'll get the Timeturner," Lily muttered. "While you're there, can you change a few other things, as well?"

"Like what?" James asked indignantly.

"Like that abomination you call hair," Lily laughed, reaching up to tousle it with her fingers.

"I happen to know for a fact that my hair is one of the things you love the best about me."

"Yeah, says who?"

"You," James laughed.

"Damn," Lily muttered. "I need to stop telling you things. I still think that our height differences are a bloody nuisance, though," she added.

"I like that you have to look up to see me," James mused quietly as he lifted Lily's chin up and held it between his thumb and pointer finger.

"Well, maybe you do, but I sure--" she was cut off by James's finger being pressed onto her lips.

"And I like that you have to stand on your tip-toes to kiss me."

"You're going to break your neck from leaning down so much," Lily murmured before closing the gap between her and James with her lips. When she finally resurfaced for air, Lily gasped. "Oh, sweet Merlin!"

"I know," James replied cockily. "I do that well."

"No, you pompous git," Lily spat. "My feet!" she finished, practically biting back tears.

"Sit over here," James said, guiding Lily over to a nearby bench. "Put your feet together."

"And what? Say 'there's no place like home' three times?" Lily asked acidly.

"What?"

"Oh, never mind. It's a muggle thing," Lily sighed.

"Oh," James replied as he examined Lily's feet. She had really done a number on them. As he had suspected, they were covered in blisters. He waved his wand to repair the damage.

"You wouldn't really get the reference, being pureblood and all," Lily continued, her eyes squeezed shut as if that would help alleviate some of the pain.

"That's one thing I love about you, Lily," James said, now performing a cushioning charm on the left shoe and moving to do the same on the right. "You come from two completely different worlds."

"That's me," Lily agreed. "I'm the girl whose both magic and muggle and still does not have the proper sense to wear comfortable shoes."

"Which world do you like better?" James asked as he sat down beside Lily on the bench.

"They're both wonderful," Lily said, opening her eyes finally and turning slightly to smile at James. "The muggle world has my family and my home and all my childhood memories. But in the magical world, everything is new and exciting. Hogwarts is the most amazing place I have ever been to. I feel so lucky that I am able to be here, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to go home every summer. Though, I must say, recently the wizarding world seems to have a slight advantage."

"Only slight?" James questioned, pulling Lily to her feet.

"Yep," she replied.

Lily's eyes went huge. "It doesn't hurt anymore!" she cried.

"I know," James replied. "I charmed them for you."

Lily flung her arms around James's neck and kissed him. "You are a god among men," she stated. "Why did I ever wait so long to go out with you?"

"I dunno," James shrugged. "How could anyone ever resist my amazing good looks, wonderful personality, and Potter charm?"

"Oh, right," Lily said flatly. "That's why."

James laughed as he grabbed Lily's hand and began walking down the corridor again. A few 

minutes later, he stopped suddenly and said, "You know? I like your shoes."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, the sound they make is incredibly sexy."

"James!"

* * *

A/N: poor rory. cute sirius. adorable james. it's the perfect combination, really. haha. please tell me what you think!


	27. You Get What You Give

You Get What You Give

Sirius sighed, folding his arms across his chest and admiring the group's handiwork.

"Looks pretty good to me," Peter voiced.

"Yeah," James agreed.

Sirius glanced around the Hufflepuff Common Room. Apart from the original plan of dung bombs, of course, they had bewitched the insincere canary yellowed theme of the room into one of a rich scarlet motif. The walls were splattered with various insults and witty statements that either James or Remus had suggested. To top it all off, Lily had put an enchantment on the door so that the next morning when any Hufflepuff left their Common Room, roller skates would appear on their feet.

At first, Sirius did not find this very amusing. After Lily explained to him what roller skates where, however, he was downright giddy. The thought of them scrambling around on wheels seemed quite hilarious to Sirius. He grinned to himself. Who knew that Evans had it in her? This must be the result of James's good influence on her after all of these years.

"I reckon we can go now," Remus said in a worried voice. His eyes yearned for the door, and this only caused Sirius to laugh.

"Relax, mate," Sirius replied. "Untwist your knickers. We can leave as soon as Prongs gives us the okay," he added with a glance towards James.

James reached into his robes and pulled out the Marauders' Map. "Filch is on the complete opposite side of the castle. Oh, but, that's disgusting!"

"What?" Sarah asked.

"Some Slytherins appear to be snogging in the broom closet near the Transfiguration room. That's my favorite. I'll have to scourgify it the next time I want to use it," he concluded with a wink at Lily.

"Let's just go before we get caught," Lily said, suppressing a smile.

They were exiting when Sirius suddenly stopped.

"What?" Rory questioned him. "Forget something?"

"Indeed," Sirius replied with a grin. "We'll be right behind you," Sirius called in a hushed tone to the others who were making their way down the corridor.

Sirius walked back into the center of the Common Room and then turned to Rory. "I just want to include one more thing." He reached into his pocket for his wand and pointed it towards the exit. With a few flicks of his wand, he wrote in fiery letters, "Love the Marauders," onto the back of the Portrait.

"Uhh, Sirius?" Rory asked. "Don't you think you're forgetting something?"

"Oh, right," Sirius realized, grasping his wand again and adding, "and their significant others," to the bottom.

"Great," Rory huffed. "Now they know exactly who vandalized this school property. We are going to get in so much trouble."

"Relax, love," Sirius replied as he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the Hufflepuff Common Room. "There is no way we are going to get in trouble for this," Sirius assured her confidently.

"It's a good think you're cute," Rory muttered to herself.

"Mr. Black!" Professor McGonagall shrieked the next morning just as Sirius was about to dig into his bacon. She looked extremely formidable--even for her. Her lips were barely visible, and a few stray hairs had fallen out of her normally impeccable bun.

Rory's body tensed up beside Sirius, but he merely flashed her a pearly white grin. Lily, however, could not be appeased. "Why does Professor McGonagall look so angry?"

"I dunno," James replied. "Do you reckon she found out about what we did last night?"

"That would be impossible," Sarah said, shaking her head. "Nobody but us could have known."

"What did you do, Sirius?" James demanded.

"Now, James, why do you always think it would be me to do something wrong?"

"Years of experience," James said through gritted teeth.

"I sort of wrote down that we trashed the Hufflepuff Common Room."

"Wrote down, Sirius! You sprawled it across the exit in flashing letters!" Rory exclaimed.

"You knew about this?" Lily asked.  


"Well," Rory started slowly but was saved when McGonagall had finally reached the table, looking livid.

"What can I do you for on this fine, beautiful morning, Minnie?" Sirius asked. "And yes, I do mean do you for."

Rory kicked Sirius roughly on the shin.

"Mr. Black," Professor McGonagall said in a forced voice that could have passed for calm, but her furious expression gave her away. "You have done some fairly stupid things in your seven years here, but--"

"Fairly stupid, Professor?" James interrupted. "Surely you give the Marauders more credit than that. I'd say we've at least earned the title of doing some extremely idiotic things."

This time it was Lily who smacked her boyfriend.

"But I never would have believed that you would sink so low to tarnish the House of Gryffindor in a petty, juvenile stunt," McGonagall continued, ignoring James completely.

"But we had to get revenge of the Hufflepuffs, Minnie," Sirius replied.

"They insulted me and called me a, well, a not so nice name," Rory added.

"I don't care if they bloody even forced her to date you, Black!" McGonagall responded in a frustrated manner. "You should know better than to try to seek revenge on your fellow students. You should have contacted either myself or another teacher, so that we could have handled the situation properly."

"Oh, but, Professor," James argued. "That would have never solved anything. Hufflepuffs are vindictive. This was almost a mandatory course of action. Retaliation was completely necessary."

"And, you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, turning to unleash her fury on James. "You should know better than to play along with Mr. Black's ridiculous schemes. You are Head Boy, act like it. I expect much better from you in the future. Is that clear, Mr. Potter?"

"Yes, Professor," James answered, his head drooping like a puppy after it's been scolded for the first time its owners decide it is no longer adorable.

"Now," Professor McGonagall plowed on. "The 'Marauders and their significant others' will be serving detention all day today to make up for their disobedience."

"But, Professor!" Sarah rebutted. "Today is a Hogsmeade day. Surely, this could wait--"

"Absolutely not, Miss Bell," McGonagall stated firmly. "I think this will do you some good. Maybe after watching the other students leave and take part in frivolity without you, you all will learn to stop acting like First Years. Miss Bell, you and Miss Daniels shall clean all of the girls' bathrooms in the castle. Misters Pettigrew, Lupin, and Black, shall clean the boys'. The Head Students," she paused to glare at Lily and James sternly, "will polish the Trophy Room. You will begin now and will not be allowed to leave until your respective areas are spotless. Am I clear?"

"No, I say your face is more of a purple right now, Minnie," Sirius snickered.

"Mr. Black, please kindly do not share with the entire world that you do not possess even a single ounce of tact."

"Professor," Rory pleaded. "Really, don't you think this is a bit extreme? There has to be at least one hundred bathrooms in the castle!"

"Ninety-seven to be precise," McGonagall corrected her curtly. "I hope you will think about what you have done as you clean without magic."

"Without magic?" James asked in an outrage.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said.

"But that will take all day!" he complained.

"Then I suggest you better start now," she said simply before walking away.

"Professor! Professor McGonagall!" Lily called, nearly running to catch up with her.

"Yes, Miss Evans?" the woman turned and looked t Lily with a pained expression.

"You can't be serious!"

"No, thankfully, I am not," McGonagall said with a wary glance in Sirius's direction. "However, Miss Evans, I am not prone to joking. You will be serving detention along with Mr. Potter after the little charade you pulled against the Hufflepuffs last night."

"But, Professor!" Lily protested. "I've never been punished before, let alone lost a single house point! There's no way I could possibly be expected to serve detention!" Lily's voice broke on the last word.

"Well, I am telling you that you must. Really, Miss Evans, you should have thought about 

this before getting involved with the Marauders and their never-ceasing shenanigans. In addition, fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor for the stupidity of my Seventh Years."

This time, McGonagall left without being followed, most likely to go to the Hospital Wing and get something to cure her migraine. A potion, perhaps, or twenty.

"I cannot believe I have detention!" Lily whined for the upteempth time as she and James continued on with their long walk to the Trophy Room. "Me, detention," Lily repeated.

"I heard it the first 50 million times, Lils," James replied, losing his patience.

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just that, I'm Lily Evans."

James chuckled. "Oh, really? Well, fancy meeting you, Lily Evans. I'm James Potter. I've come extremely close to shagging you, but it's really nice to finally know who you are."

"James!" Lily said shrilly, shoving James in the chest with her palm.

"What?"

"Lily Evans does not get detention," she reiterated after a few minutes had passed by.

"And why ever not?" James inquired.

"Because she is the Head Girl, and throughout her entire school career, Lily Evans has upheld an infallible record. Detention and Lily Evans just do not mix."

"James Potter gets detention all the time," James pointed out.

"Yes, but that's different," Lily replied.

"And why's that?"

"Because he's James Potter," Lily said with a sigh.

"And what is the difference between James Potter and Lily Evans that I am apparently oblivious to?"

"A person who came 'extremely close to shagging me' wouldn't need that question answered."

"Ahh, so besides the fact that one is a girl and the other is a devilishly handsome and 

charming fellow," James said with a smile. "Why can't Lily Evans have a detention?"

"Because then I won't be perfect anymore," Lily admitted as they reached the entrance into the Trophy Room.

"Lily," James laughed. "Although I am sure you are well aware that I worship the very ground you walk on and love everything there is about you, you are definitely not perfect."

"Thanks, James," Lily replied acidly.

"But you are closer to it than any other person I know. However, that doesn't mean that you always have to worry about not messing up. On occasion, it's okay, necessary even."

"Yes, I do," Lily said stubbornly.

"Mistakes happen. We're teenagers. We're supposed to screw up majorly at least once a year, weekly if you're a Marauder. It's like the law."

"Sometimes I wish I saw things the way you do, James," Lily sighed.

"Come on, Lils," James said, opening the door for her. "Detention with James Potter is never dull."

"Poor James," Sarah said as she threw the sponge she was using to clean the sinks onto the floor.

"Poor us!" Rory replied. "Can you imagine McGonagall? Having to clean all of the bathrooms in the school without magic? It's bloody ridiculous!"

"Still, can you imagine what Lily must be like right now?" Sarah asked.

"Oh, right," Rory realized. "We got off easy. Poor James! He's going to be a wreck by the end of the day."

"Speaking of James, he and I were talking last night, and--"

"Sarah!" Rory cut in. "What were you and James doing together last night?"

"Ours is a forbidden love," Sarah replied solemnly.

"I'll bet."

"Anyways," Sarah continued with a laugh. "He was thinking that we should have a surprise party for Lily's birthday next week."

"Trust James to think up something like that. He's got it so bad."

"Do you think it's a good idea then?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like an excellent idea. Although, he might be overcompensating a bit for the lusty affair you two are having. Now, you can go tell James that I will help with his conscious clearer at your next clandestine meeting together."

"Honestly, Rory," Sarah said, rolling her eyes.

"The secret lovers meeting behind everyone's back to succumb to the heat of passion."

Sarah laughed and splashed Rory with ice cold water from the sink. "That heated enough for you?"

"I wonder what Sarah and Rory are doing right now," Remus mused as he scrubbed what seemed to be the trillionth toilet.

"They're probably gossiping about how amazingly good-looking we are," Siriu said.

"I doubt that, Padfoot," Peter replied.

"Are you implying that I am not attractive?" Sirius asked in a scandalized tone.

"You're just not my type," Peter laughed.

"Sorry, Wormtail, I guess I'll just have to settle for not being made out of cheese."

"I like girls!" Peter announced loudly.

"Well, that's nice to know, mate," Sirius answered with a smirk. "You had us worried for awhile. We thought you were about to find some cheddar to snog."

"Shut up, Sirius," Peter growled.

"Sorry! I didn't know you were a mozzarella kind of guy. My apologies."

"You two are such gits," Remus interjected.

"Why thank you, my lunar pal, I love you too," Sirius responded.

"Ugh, how many more bathrooms do we have to clean before we're done?" Peter complained.

"About nine more," Remus answered him gloomily.

"Nine?" Peter repeated. "But I'm starving!"

"Come on men," Sirius declared. "Let's finish out task and then we can collect our girls, or in Peter's case, cheese."

"I do not fancy--"

"Oh, just give it a rest, Wormtail," Remus sighed. "If we ignore him, maybe he'll go away," he added hopfefully.

"I doubt it, mate," Sirius replied cheerfully, taking a sick pleasure in the groans of the two boys next to him.

"Lily, you've been pouting for the past forty-five minutes straight."

"You've been timing me?"

"Well, frankly, quality brooding like that deserves some sort of recognition, don't you think?" James finished with a lighthearted shrug of his shoulders. "And besides," he continued. "Nothing else that terribly exciting has been going on. Waxing trophies kind of loses its fun after the first couple of minutes. Now, how many hours later, the thrill is gone."

"Sorry," Lily apologized. "I guess my moping isn't affecting just me, is it?"

"Want to make it up to me?" James asked.

"Alright," Lily said slowly.

James walked towards her quickly and placed one hand on Lily's hip and his other on the back of her neck. Lily smiled before she met his lips with her own. She worked her fingers through James's thick, black hair with the intent of making it look much messier than it was, even after he had just gotten off a broomstick.  


James smiled against Lily's lips as he smelled the lavender scent of her red curls in such close proximity. He deepened the kiss and forced Lily's back onto the closest wall, causing several awards to hit the floor with a loud clunking sound, unbeknownst to the snogging couple.

James's hand slipped its way underneath Lily's shirt, and this time, she shoved him against the wall. James moved his lips to the base of Lily's throat and grabbed the loops of her pants so that she was even pulled even closer to him before her lips found his once more.

Finally, the couple separated. Both were panting and grinning like fools. James ruffled his hair as he turned his head to observe the cups and plaques that had fallen to the floor and would need to be repolished and repositioned.

"James," Lily whispered, guiding his head down so that she could look into his warm, hazel eyes. "I've decided that I like detention."

"I knew you would," James replied before leaning in to kiss her again.

A/N: i like this chapter a lot. haha. james much? i know, i know. i need to deflate my ego. but i love james/lily moments. especially at the end when they are in detention together. i hope you enjoyed it, too!


	28. A Day in the Life

A Day in the Life

James eyed the Hufflepuff table warily as he and Sirius took their usual seats at the far end of the Gryffindor table for breakfast on a particularly sunny morning in April. He received many death glares in return. The entire house was still bitter that the Marauders had pranked them. Most were still sore and even a little black-and-blue from their escapade with the infamous roller skates. James's eyes scanned the table as he thought of the surprising animosity that the Hufflepuffs were displaying. Sure, the Slytherin House was filled with slimy gits, and Ravenclaws were too busy trying to come up with wise answers required to open their dorms to hold much of a conversation, but Hufflepuffs were just fickle. They gave off that vibe that clearly stated they were not the friendly type they were made out to be. As Amos Diggory's cold gray eyes locked on James's own hazel ones, they seemed to have a nonverbal agreement: both boys completely and utterly loathed each other. It made James feel downright giddy. He turned with a lopsided grin to face Rory, Peter, Sarah, and Remus.

"Okay, you guys, Lily's big day is in only a couple of days, and I want to make sure we have this whole shindig planned out properly."

"Shindig?" Sirius asked with a raised eyebrow, smirking.

"Well," James explained, grabbing a piece of toast. "It's not really a party, considering we'll be the only ones attending, but we aren't exactly just hanging out either. Shindig just seemed like the most appropriate word."

"Okay, well then, what is this shindig going to entail?" Sarah asked.

"I figured you and Rory could take Lily out for the majority of her birthday, while the rest  
of the Marauders and I decorate the Heads' Dorm."

"Aww, Prongs," Sirius whined. "Why do we have to that? That's going to involve organizing and cleaning and decorating and rubbish like that. Wouldn't the girls be bett--"

"Sirius Black!" Rory interrupted him harshly. "If you finish that sentence, I will not snog or do anything more interesting with you until Lily's next birthday."

"So, James, I was thinking I could sweep up your fireplace. There's dust and soot everywhere, and I know how everything needs to be sparkly clean for the big night. Plus, I'm getting ruddy good with decorating," Sirius blurted out quickly.

"That's more like it," Rory laughed.

"Sirius, you have such a one-tracked mind," Remus stated, shaking his head.  


"Yeah," he agreed. "But at least it's focusing on the right sort of thing," Sirius added with a grin.

Peter, James, and Sirius laughed heartily but were silenced by the stony glares coming from Rory and Sarah.

"The only thing I'm worried about is Lily," Sarah said, seeming to forgive them after a fashion for being males, realizing there was no cure, as of yet.

"You're right, Sass," Rory agreed. "Lily's not stupid. She's going to realize something's up if we don't let her in her own dorm all day."

"You just have to keep her distracted," James suggested. "Mention an essay or something. She'll lock herself up with some musty, old books in the library for hours."

"Do you know Lily at all, James?" Rory asked with a laugh.

James merely looked at her with a bewildered expression etched onto his otherwise handsome face.

"Lily finishes all of her assignments two weeks in advance, so she can proofread and edit them fully," Sarah explained to him, sighing at the commitment her friend put into her schoolwork and also the insanity of it. "There's no way she would be distracted by an upcoming essay."

"Damn, you're right," James assented. "Just keep her distracted somehow. Can you two manage that?"

"I'm sure we can think of something," Rory answered with a grin and a twinkle in her eye that could only mean a makeover.

"We'll give her the works," Sarah said, sensing Rory's scheme. "She'll look perfect for her party once we're through with her."

"Shindig," James corrected her.

"Sorry, James," Sarah laughed. "I meant, Lily will look perfect for her shindig."

"Don't be too cruel," James warned the girls. "It's her birthday, and Lily is beautiful enough already. No need to make her any more irresistible," he finished darkly, thinking of Amos.

Sirius was about to open his mouth to mutter something along the lines of "whipped," "pansy," or "pouf," but Rory elbowed him in the gut.

"Relax, loverboy," she said to James. "Lily will be fine."

"Ouch, Ror," Sirius murmured. "That hurt."

"Is my big, strong boyfriend not capable of being with little, old me?" Rory teased, reaching out to pinch Sirius's cheek.

"I'm sure you will find that I am quite capable of being with you, love," Sirius said with a smirk.

"Isn't it a bit early to be putting those kind of images into people's heads?" Remus groaned, putting his blueberry muffin down dejectedly onto his plate.

"Never," Sirius replied.

"Getting back to the party," James interrupted the banter, his voice sounding frazzled. His hand yearned to tangle his hair in frustration.

"You mean, shindig," Sirius corrected him gleefully.

"Yes, the shindig," James continued, rolling his eyes. "I need you two to just keep her busy until dinner, and then I will come get her and bring her to our dorm. Are you sure that you all know your assigned duties?" He paused to throw Sirius a glare for snickering. "I want this to be a night Lily will never forget."

"Don't worry, James," Peter reassured him. "Everything will be fine."

"Seriously, James," Sirius said with a snort of laughter.

"Sirius, if you make a bloody pun, I will castrate you," Remus growled threateningly.

"So touchy this morning, Moony," Sirius commented lightly, as if he was discussing the weather. He then added in an undertone to Peter, "PMS."

"Focus, people, please!" James said loudly.

"You know, mate," Sirius replied in a bored voice. "You love Evans with every fiber of your being, or so you keep constantly telling us, then why is it that--"

"Hey, guys!" Lily interrupted him with a cheerful wave. "What are you talking about?" she asked as she sat down onto James's lap.

"You, oddly enough," Sirius answered her. "Shocking, considering James is here, and all," he added sarcastically.

"Only good things, I hope," Lily replied as she reached for the closest pitcher of pumpkin 

juice.

"The best," James whispered into her ear, ignoring the gagging noises Sirius was making as he pushed her red hair back to brush his lips along her neck.

"Okay then," Lily said a tad shakily.

"We better get going to class," Sarah said. "Defense Against the Dark Arts starts in five minutes."

Lily jumped up off of James's laps and grabbed his waiting hand. "James and I are going to make a quick side stop first," Lily announced. "We'll meet you there."

"And what, may I ask, are we doing?" James asked amusedly.

"I left my book in my room," Lily lied.

"Right," James said, seeing through her completely.

"More like they are going to snog in her bedroom," Sirius muttered into Rory's ear.

"Mmm," Rory mused. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

"Merlin, I love you," Sirius groaned.

"Do you want to ditch as well?" Remus asked Sarah.

"I suppose it is healthy every once in a while," Sarah answered with a secret smile.

"Take good notes for us, Pete," Sirius called as the three couples dispersed to, um, chat. Yes, that is exactly what they did.

"You and your bloody abstinence," Lily said huskily as James forced her lips away from his own. She did not move very far back, however, as she pointblank refused to remove her fingers from his thick, black hair. James grabbed her arms and forced them into her lap. Lily expressed her disappointment when she frowned up at him.

"Sorry, Lils," James replied with an apologetic smile.

"Sorry isn't good enough," she pouted.

James leaned towards her and very slowly moved her red hair away from her face. His lips were so close to her ear that she could feel them touch her skin as he whispered in a low growl, "What if I said that I want you right here, right now?"

Lily's entire body tensed up and she sat frozen for a moment. "I would say okay," Lily replied finally.

James chuckled at the breathlessness in her voice. "I'm sure you would," he replied amusedly. "However," he continued, peering at the watch he always wore on his left wrist. "Seeing as we have already missed our first two classes, I think might start to get worried and look for us if we miss lunch as well."

"I'm not hungry," she said stubbornly.

"You are, but just not for food."

Lily blushed and James laughed once more. He got up and adjusted his wrinkled clothing and even messier hair. "Come on, Lils, let's go eat. You may not be hungry, but I sure am."

Lily rose from the lavender quilt on her bed and asked, "For food or for me?"

"Both," James answered as he slipped his fingers through hers and made their way out of their Common room.

On April 11th, Lily's birthday, James snuck out of their dorm at the unMerlinly hour of six, so he could avoid seeing Lily. He walked to the Gryffindor Tower and then trudged up the stairs to his former dorm. To be frank, the other Marauders did not particularly enjoy his timing--or the Sonorus charm he had used.

After much grumbling, and even a few nasty hexes, James coaxed the boys into going down to the kitchens with him. Well, coaxed is a broad term.

At about nine when James was sure Lily had left the Heads' Dorm, he, Peter, Remus, and Sirius brought the food over.

"I wanted a chocolate cake," Sirius whined as they neared Violet's portrait.

"It is a chocolate cake," Remus responded with a forced calmness.

"No, it's not. It's a vanilla cake with chocolate frosting," Sirius corrected him.

"That's Lily's favorite type of cake," James said.

"But, it's not my favorite," Sirius complained. "I like chocolate cake because it's Black like me."

"Padfoot, do you need a mirror?" Peter asked, guffawing.

"I know I'm white," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "But my name is Sirius Black. I'm Black."

"That makes no sense," Remus said.

"Yes it does, Moony. James, I still don't get it. Why can't the cake be what I want? I'm probably going to be eating the majority of it."

James snickered. "Well, ordinarily, Sirius, I do think of you when food is mentioned, but this cake is for Lily."

"Evans," Sirius muttered darkly. "Is she all you care about anymore, mate? What about everything we've shared together? Doesn't my love for you mean anything at all?"

"Just get in here, you great pouf," James laughed loudly as he pushed Sirius through the Portrait Hole.

"Oh, James, I love it when you get rough," Sirius teased.

"You two are twisted, and this is disturbing on so many levels," Remus said.

"I guess I'll get back to you later on this, mate," Sirius shrugged with a wink in James's direction.

James reached up to wipe away the tears that had formed from all of his laughter and then clapped his hands together. "Let's start decorating," he announced.

Hours and many inappropriate things done with balloons later, James left the Heads' Dorm to go collect Lily from Rory and Sarah. When he spotted them in the Great Hall, standing at their normal end of the table, James jerked his head into a half nod to signal to Sarah that he was ready to take Lily. He saw her mutter something to the redhead and grab Rory by the arm before the two left the room. James smirked to himself as he snuck up behind Lily and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hi, beautiful," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head.

"Hey," Lily replied, turning around to face him. James looked her over and appreciated the 

results of Sarah's and Rory's torturing, or rather, pampering. Lily looked positively stunning. She was wearing his favorite pair of black stiletto heels, tight dark jeans, and a flowy, off-the-shoulder red top that matched her hair color. Her face had the subtle touch of make-up, nearly unseen to the casual observer--definitely not someone like James. Her hair was partially pulled back and was in glossy curls that reached down to the middle of her back. James groaned quietly to himself.

"I take that back," he said. "You look much better than beautiful. I'm not even sure there is a word to describe it."

"Thanks," Lily murmured, her face reddening slightly at his praise.

"Do you have something big planned for tonight?" James asked, chuckling in the safety of his own mind.

"I dunno," Lily answered meaningfully. "I guess you could say it's an important day."

"Hmm…." James mused innocently as he and Lily left the Great Hall and started walking towards their Dorm. "It seems like an average day to me."

Lily frowned as she and James continued walking silently. As they approached Violet's portrait, Lily turned to him, her eyes alight with fury. "James, do you have any idea what today is?"

James shrugged and answered, "Nope," as he worked to hide his grin.

"Have you been so busy with Sirius that you completely forgot? I know he's your best mate and all, but James, sometimes you two act more like a couple than we do! Oh, Merlin!" Lily shrieked, her eyes going wide. "Is that why you won't have sex with me? Are you secretly in love with Sirius?" she added melodramatically.

"No, Lily," James assured her, grinning at her sudden outburst. He pushed open the Portrait and guided her into their Common room, which was completely dark.

"Then why did you forget my birt—" she started again, only to be cut off by the fire magically being ignited, bringing light into the room, and Peter, Rory, Sarah, Remus, and Sirius jumping up from their respective hiding places, yelling, "Surprise!"

"Oh, Sweet Merlin!" Lily breathed as she staggered slightly in shock. James steadied her by placing his hands on her waist. "You?" she accused him angrily.

"Surprise?" James replied weakly with an unsure smile.

"Oh, James!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him quickly. James grinned, thoroughly pleased with this result.

"And you guys, too?" Lily asked before eagerly rushing towards Sirius, her arms open wide.

"No thanks, Evans," Sirius muttered. "I just saw the last one."

Lily rolled her eyes, but hugged Sirius and then proceeded to do the same to each of her other friends.

When the festivities had finally died down and everyone had left, Lily plopped down onto the couch and rested her back onto James's chest. "Some party, huh?"

"Shindig," James corrected her automatically.

"Shindig," she repeated, enjoying the way her lips formed his word. "I'm sorry I  
snapped at you before. It was out of line. And all that time, you had this whole amazing night planned for me."

"It's okay, Lils," James replied sincerely. "It was sort of a nasty trick, and I did enjoy seeing you get all worked up like that," he added as he stoked her cheek with his index finger.

Lily sighed contentedly. "Thanks for my present," she said after a few minutes. Lily reached down to leaf through the hardcover version of Romeo and Juliet she had unwrapped a few hours ago.

"I heard it was one of your favorites."

"It is," Lily replied, gazing at the last page, which had some familiar handwriting on it. She read the short message.

_Lily, __  
__Our love, though as fervent and strong as that of Romeo and Juliet, shall never be confined as star-crossed or tragic. Nothing can ever change the love I feel for you. The love that I will feel forever. __  
__Always, __  
__James_

"James, I love you," Lily said, having nothing else to say.

"I love you too, Lily," James replied. He leaned down to kiss her tenderly on the lips. "Happy Birthday," he whispered.

A/N: isn't james just so adorable? ahh. i love him to death. and the word "shindig" is one of my favorites. thanks so much for reading. tell me your thoughts on this and breaking dawn in one of those, what do you call them? oh, reviews. a little ariel humor for you there. okay. ttfn!


	29. Pick It Up

Pick It Up

"I can't believe you just did that!" Peter breathed in an awed voice.

Remus threw Peter a patronizing glare before saying, "After seven years, you still haven't figured Sirius out yet? Seven years, Pete!"

James guffawed. "I've known Sirius almost my whole life, Moony, and even I found that bloody hilarious."

"More like bloody idiotic," Remus muttered darkly under his breath, but still loud enough that it was audible for the three other boys he was sitting with in the middle of the floor of the Marauder Dorm.

"What is with all the PMS lately, Remmy-poo?" Sirius asked jokingly. "Hasn't the full moon passed already?"

"I dunno," Remus shrugged. "I guess I've just been feeling a tad irritable lately."

"Sexual repression," James said into his fist during a fit of pretend coughing.

This earned him a punch in the arm from Remus. Sirius, looking gleeful, replied with, "Takes one to know one, eh, Prongsie?" This act earned Sirius a whack in the back of the head. "We can fix your problem, Moony," Sirius decided. "I'll go get Sarah, or better yet, I'll buy you a new wig. That'll be sure to cheer you up," he concluded, messing up Remus's hair.

Remus tried and failed to suppress his laughter. His face, which had been looking tired and worn after their latest full moon escapade a few days prior, broke out into a genuine grin.

James found himself smiling in response. "There you go, Remus," he said. "I knew Padfoot could cheer you up, and we have the last 'official' Hogsmeade trip tomorrow. We are finally coming to the end of our Hogwarts' experience, gents. We are going to make tomorrow a day for the books."

"Assuming that our kind can actually read," Remus replied with a nod towards Sirius, who after preparing to look outraged, decided to let that one go in light of recent events of stupidity.

"I'm just glad that Sirius didn't ruin it for us," Peter chimed in.

"Yeah," Sirius assented gruffly.

"I know. Sirius has done some inappropriate things before, and I mean really 

inappropriate. I would say stupid, idiotic, foolish, absurd, ridiculous, perverse, and just plain out gross things have come to be expected, the norm even. This time, though, this time, I think McGonagall went into shock," James finished before breaking into a fit of chortles.

Remus and Peter snickered, as well, and even Sirius wore a shifty grin. "What in the name of Merlin's pancreas would make you do that?" Remus asked, trying to fathom the method to his friend's madness.

"Well," Sirius began, as though he was trying to formulate his explanation very carefully. "I was just trying to give Minnie a hug, and my hands acted of their own accord."

"I'm pretty sure that is a controllable action," Remus replied, his face full of laughter.

"Yes, I daresay it is," James agreed. "I know you've touched her butt before, but getting to second base with your Transfiguration Professor seems a tad excessive."

Sirius shrugged and then threw James a wink.

"What I don't understand is why you snogged her afterwards," Peter mused.

"Can't go to second without stopping at first base first, Pete. You don't touch the bludgers before you slip the girl a little tongue," Sirius replied, his voice drenched with amusement, much to the chagrin of the three boys sitting next to him who were trying to eradicate certain mental images from their brains, unfortunately, to no avail. The gruesome scene was forever instilled.

"I could have progressed further if you would've preferred," Sirius offered defiantly. James whacked Sirius in the back of his head again.

"You know, mate, that's probably the reason I do these things. I don't have any brain cells left because you keep hitting me," Sirius pointed out.

"You didn't have any brain cells to begin with," James rebutted. "Otherwise, you wouldn't do things like this. I'm just trying to stimulate some function in that useless organ of yours you call a brain."

"At least she didn't take away our Hogsmeade privileges," Peter sighed.

"Thank Merlin," Remus agreed.

"Thank Merlin she didn't take her wand out and Avada Kedavra him right there on the spot," James said.

"Minnie would never do that to me," Sirius disagreed. "She wants me too bad. It's not her fault. She's only female."  


"And you're only Sirius Black," James added pointedly.

"Are you trying to imply that you are more attractive than me, mate?" Sirius asked in indignation.

"No, I'm not implying," James insinuated with a huge grin plastered onto his already smug face. "I'm merely stating that McGonagall may have actually wanted to progress further with me. I am, after all, Head Boy and the Gryffindor Quidditch Captain. I bet she likes guys with authority."

"No way," Sirius argued. "Minnie's all about the rebels. I'd reckon she's just aching for a ride on my motorbike. That would send her flying," he finished suggestively.

"Are you both really arguing over who Professor McGonagall would be the most interested in?" Remus questioned in a dazed, almost amazed, voice.

"She wouldn't want you," Sirius said frankly.

"Oh, definitely not," James concurred quickly. "I don't think a woman like her would fall for your sensitive, tortured soul act."

"It's not an act!" Remus blurted out angrily. "McGonagall would love to go out with me. I'd be much better for her than either of you two buffoons."

"What about me, guys?" Peter asked. "Do you think McGonagall would want to date me?"

"No."

"Absolutely not."

"There's a better chance that I'd run across the grounds, starkers, screaming, 'I want to bear Snivellus's greasy children.'"

"Thanks for that image, Padfoot," Peter replied dryly.

"Delighted to be of service, mate," Sirius said.

"You guys are just lucky that I'm still debating whether or not to tell all your girlfriends that you just spent nearly ten minutes arguing over who should get McGonagall."

"You wouldn't dare," Remus threatened murderously.

"Oh, wouldn't I?"

The three boys groaned so loudly that they almost drowned out the huge chuckles emitting 

from Peter. Almost.

About an hour later, and after the boys promised to buy Peter anything he wanted from Honeydukes, The Three Broomsticks, and Zonko's the next day, James bid his friends goodnight. He walked down to his own dorm, where Lily was waiting for him, sprawled out onto his favorite couch.

"Hey," Lily said sleepily, looking up from her book.

"Hey," James replied warmly, his whole body relaxing and racing simultaneously at her presence. He walked over to her and kissed her lips out of sheer necessity. "What are you reading?"

Lily turned the cover toward him as she continued reading. It was the copy of _Romeo and Juliet_ he had given her a few weeks ago for her birthday.

"Haven't you already read that about a thousand times since the shindig?"

"Yeah," she murmured. "But it's a good story," she continued after a large yawn.

James removed, well, more forced, the book from her hands and placed in on a nearby table.

"I wasn't finished yet," she complained.

"I'll give you better than Romeo," he replied, placing a kiss on the hand he still held in his own. He then laid down on the couch next to her and opened his arms as an invitation for Lily to join him.

"Hmm, okay," she decided before snuggling herself into his warm arms. James traced her hands with his fingertips and then slowly moved up her arm all the way to her face.

"See," he said quietly as he gently caressed her cheekbone. "Much better than a fictional character."

"Mmm," Lily agreed. "Night, James," she whispered.

"Sweet dreams, Lily," he replied before they both drifted off into very content sleep.

"Lils, honey, wake up," James whispered into a disarray of red curls.

"Hmphmm," he heard erupt from the mass of hair before a hand appeared out of nowhere and tried to swat him away.

"C'mon, Lily, wake up! The sun is shining, it's a lovely day!"

"Too early," Lily muttered, disgruntled, before rolling away.

"No, it's not," James replied, laughing a little to himself. He removed the blanket that he had covered Lily with previously that morning to make up for the lack of his body heat. Lily groaned and crouched her feet up to her chest, snuggling for warmth.

"Alright," James sighed. "You leave me no choice." He got down on his knees beside the couch and forced Lily's head to face his. He swooped down and kissed Lily softly on the mouth. At first, she was unresponsive, but after a few moments, she began to move her lips against his in response. The intensity of the kiss grew rapidly, but eventually they both had to break off for air. James did not move very far, however. He kept his forehead pressed against Lily's.

"Hey," she breathed.

"Morning, beautiful," he greeted her.

"James, what time is it?" Lily asked. James didn't reply but, instead, merely started kissing Lily's neck. "Stop distracting me," she said, trying to sound annoyed. James removed his lips from base of her throat and looked into her green, penetrating eyes.

"It's seven o'clock," James answered finally with an apologetic smile.

Lily groaned.

"Sorry," James added in a whisper.

"It's okay," Lily said. "I have to admit that the wake-up call wasn't so bad."

James grinned crookedly. "Does that mean you forgive me?" he asked hopefully.

"I dunno," Lily teased, playing with the hair at the back of his neck and inhaling his perfect James-straight-from-the-shower smell. "You might have to kiss me again."

"Happy to oblige," James replied before leaning in once more. Immediately, after their lips, had barely touched, James pulled back excitedly.

"I almost forgot!" he exclaimed. "I brought you breakfast."

"What did you bring me?"

"Waffles," he replied, lifting up the plate and syrup to show her.

"Best boyfriend ever," Lily stated.

"I try," James laughed, shrugging. "I gotta head out now, though, Lils. The guys and I decided to start our Hogsmeade trip early today."

"Does that mean you all decided as a group, or you decided for them, and they are going to be extremely irritated with you when they wake up?"

"The latter," James admitted.

"Just be as good to them as you are to me."

"I doubt they would go for that," James laughed.

"Oh right, I think you might get them even more enraged if you slip the guys tongue before nine."

"Except for Sirius," James pointed out.

"Of course," Lily replied, joining in on his laughter. "Be nice," she warned.

"Am I ever anything but?" James asked, feigning hurt, much to Lily's amusement. "Have fun with the girls today, Lils."

You too," Lily replied pointedly.

James laughed, recognizing the description as being occasionally accurate for his friends. "Meet you around five, okay?"

"Sure, five," Lily replied, nodding.

James smiled at her and kissed the top of her fiery head before exiting the Heads' Dorm and waking up three teenage boys who were not quite so happy to see him.

"It's five," James said happily as he approached Lily at the entrance to the Three Broomsticks.

"Yes, it is," Lily replied, her tone matching his. James interlocked his fingers with hers and then lifted their hands to bring them to his lips. Lily smiled and followed him into the pub. It was very crowded that day. All the students had gone in hopes of getting one last butterbeer or Rosmerta's owling address before the end of term. Nevertheless, James was able to spot an empty table in the corner of the room. They walked over, and James pulled out a chair for Lily.

"Thanks," she said.

"You are very welcome," he replied, flashing heran overwhelming smile. "So how was your day?"

"Very good," she replied. "Sarah, Rory, and I picked up some things we needed."

"What type of things?"

Lily shrugged nonchalantly. "Some more ink and parchment to use for N.E.W.T.s. I also needed a few supplement potion ingredients. Sarah got a new book. Rory sent some Zonko's stuff to her parents. Then we hit Honeydukes for some much needed chocolate."

James nodded in response.

"Oh, and we bought dresses."

This perked James right up.

"For graduation. It's not black and revealing, but it's nice."

"I'm sure it'll look much better than 'nice.'" James corrected her.

Lily blushed a little. "What did you do?"

"The guys and I pretty much catered to Peter's every want. That boy and his capriciousness. I swear there wasn't a single toffee or Zonko's product that he didn't want. It was ridiculous, but, at the same time, incredibly entertaining."

"Why'd Peter get to call all the shots today?"

"No reason," James murmured, going slightly pink. He looked up, begging for a distraction; he found one. "Looks like the line's gone down. What would you like to drink, Lils?"

"Butterbeer, please."  


"Butterbeer it is then," he repeated as he stood up. He leaned down in her ear and whispered, "Don't go anywhere without me."

Lily glanced around the pub as she waited for James. She noticed a few friends and waved at them. They waved back. Lily scanned the room for other people she knew when some guy approached her table. He was tall, probably about six feet, but a couple of inches shorter than James. He had brown hair and brown, dull eyes. He was not amazing looking, but not unattractive, either. However, what came out of his mouth was.

"Is that seat taken, doll face?" he asked in what he must have thought was an alluring voice, which really made Lily fight to control her gag reflex.

"Yes," Lily replied, rolling her eyes. "In fact, all the seats in this building are taken, so you might want to go try outside. I hear the Hog's Head still serves scumbags," she finished coldly.

"Ouch, don't be like that, baby," jerk-boy said, placing his hand over his heart.

"Baby?" she echoed. "Isn't that more of an accurate description of yourself?"

"You can call me Scott," he said, leaning closer to her. "You might want to remember that for later on," he continued, winking.

"And you can call me not interested," Lily responded, growing more frustrated with his presence by the second.

"C'mon, Red," he said.

"Is there a problem here?" James asked loudly as he arrived at the table with two drinks in his hands. He passed a butterbeer to Lily and then put one in front of his own chair. Then, he moved towards Scott, peering down at him aggressively.

"No problem," Scott replied weakly.

"Then would you mind leaving my girlfriend alone?"

"Sure," he said before turning quickly and walking away.

"Oh, and Scott, I hear they have medication for that!" Lily yelled loudly after him, which only caused him to move away even faster.

James laughed. "I think we scared him off," he decided happily.

"Yes," Lily agreed. "Thanks for showing up when you did."

"No problem," James shrugged. "I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't, though. Would you two be running off to go get married now?"

"Jealous, Potter?"

"Never, Evans."

"Yes, you were," Lily teased. "You got all huffy and puffy because some bloke talked to me."

"He wanted to do a lot more than talk to you, Lils."

"Yes, but so do Lucy and Sally, the co-presidents of your fan club."

"Look who's jealous now," James replied. "Are you okay, though, Lily? Do you need me to go hex that slime ball into oblivion."

"No, it'll be okay. He was being pretty gross, though. He tried to pick me up and everything."

"Did he at least use a good line?"

"No!" Lily said indignantly. "And he called me 'doll face!'"

James made a sour face. "Would you feel better if I picked you up, Lils?"

She nodded, and James racked his brain for a good line to start the conversation off.

"I think I might me gay," James started anxiously, but then with a more seductive growl finished with, "Want to prove me wrong?"

Lily laughed. "How appropriate."

"Your turn," James urged her.

"Okay," Lily said. "Have you showered lately? Because you look like a dirty boy."

"I've always felt that showering should not be a solitary act. If two people shower together, think how much water can be conserved!"

"My environmentally friendly boyfriend," Lily laughed.

"That would be me."

"You go now."

"Alright," he replied. "If someone were to write a story about my life, you would be the climax."

"They call me milk because I do the body good."

"Do you like bacon? Wanna strip?"

"Oh, James," Lily laughed heartily. "That was a good one. Here, how about this. Do you want to see if my lipstick really stays on as advertised?"

James licked his lips subconsciously in response, before asking, "What's your first name?"

"Lily," she replied, playing along.

"Lily, huh? No kidding, that goes really well with my last name."

Lily chuckled. "Was that an explosion, or is my heart just pounding?"

James snorted into his butterbeer bottle. "The word of the day is legs. Go spread it!"

Lily shook her head, amused and also disgusted. "You've got something on your lips," she purred, fanning her fingers across his mouth. "Want me to lick it off?" she whispered, leaning back before he could do anything.

"Not fair," James whined. "You keep doing lip-related ones. That's way below the belt," he added with a wink.

"Oh, James," Lily sighed.

"What can I say? All those curves, and me with no brakes. Good thing I ride a broom."

Lily burst into hysterical laughter. Tears actually started to form in her eyes. "James," she said in between gasps. "That is the perfect pick-up line for you."

"I don't need pick-up lines," James replied. "I already have you."

"Prongsie, that is the most sickeningly sweet crap in the world," Sirius said, barging into their conversation out of nowhere, Rory, Remus, Sarah, and Peter trailing behind him, as well.

"It wasn't meant for you, Sirius," James muttered, his face tinted pink.

"Merlin, Evans, is he always this mushy around you? No wonder you never wanted to date the boy."

Lily laughed. "To be perfectly honest, we were just having a pick-up line fight."

"No way, Evans. You like pick-up lines?"

"Who doesn't?" she asked. "I mean, it's kind of gross when some guy you've never met uses one on you, but they are pretty hilarious."

"Merlin, James," Sirius said in amazement. "She's a keeper."

"Well, actually, Sirius, Lily doesn't play Quidditch, but I'll be sure to keep my options open for the Cup next week."

"You know what I meant," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I do," James said.

Then, they all arranged stolen chairs around Lily and James's tiny table for two and had a grand time talking and mostly laughing for the next two hours. It was the perfect last Hogsmeade trip. At around nine, they decided to head back up to the castle.

"Hey, Lily?" James asked.

"Yeah, James?"

"Would you hold something for me?"

"Sure."

"Thanks," James replied before placing his hand in Lily's.

"Oh, James, you can't pick-up what's already yours."

"Yes, I can," James argued before swooping Lily up into his arms and racing towards Hogwarts.

"See," he said, letting her go once they reached the castle doors. "I picked you up."

A/N: can't get away from those pick-up lines, i suppose. though, james's adorableness makes up for the skeeviness of them--even if they are insanely amusing, at least to me. thanks for reading! i've gotten A LOT of hits for this story. i wish you would all review! please? for me?


	30. The Big One

Chapter 30

The Big One

James crumpled his hair in frustration. He crushed his overgrown, black locks in between both sets of fingers and moaned. He ran down corridors from the Potions dungeons after being forced to nod continuously in agreement as Slughorn droned on about something or other quite heartily. All the while, James had been going over new Quidditch plays to approach Abbey with, in hopes that it would be beneficial in helping her dive faster to catch the snitch. Hufflepuff's seeker, Amos Diggory, was heavier than her by a considerable amount and would, therefore, have a natural advantage. According to physics, Diggory should beat Abbey, but James would not have that. Abbey would catch the snitch, Gryffindor would win the Final, and Diggory would not win. Obviously, James still had some unresolved issues with Amos.

However, not a minute ago, Slughorn had finally released James. He had placed his arm around James's shoulder, which acted more as a chokehold than a friendly gesture. Thankfully, whatever he was monologuing about had come to a close. That, or Slughorn just wanted to bust into his new box of caramelized pineapple.

James looked down at his watch and groaned. He was late for Quidditch practice. A Quidditch practice about which he had threatened his team with the penalty of death if they did not attend, despite looming exams. The Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team was late for a mandatory Quidditch practice three days before the most important match of the year: the Inter-house Quidditch Cup, against Hufflepuff, no less. James grinded his teeth together at the thought of Diggory's hands all over his cup. The look of ecstasy that would engulf his face, something that James had only seen when Diggory was dating Lily. James growled and established new convictions for winning that damn cup. Yep, he definitely still had unresolved issues.

He looked at his watch again and started sprinting, so corridors became unrecognizable and blurry at his current speed. As he rounded the corner, James collided into something hard and then fell backwards onto his back. James threw out his arms as he attempted to prevent his fall, but it was inevitable. Almost instantly, he was lying on the cold, marble floor. James, in a dazed state, stared at the floor, noticing the numerous cracks in the ancient tile. He was awoken from his reverie when he heard a soft chortling from the forgotten figure laying beside him.

James reached blindly for his glasses, his fingers frantically grasping that the floor until, at last, he found them. James thrust them onto the bridge of his nose, but there was no mistaking whose voice had made that sound. "Good evening, Professor," James said apologetically as he got up off the floor and turned to face the Headmaster, lying on the floor, his robes askew, and his silver, white beard hanging haphazardly over his shoulder.

"Ahh, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore replied lightly as James offered him an arm and helped pull the old man to his feet. "Fancy running into you here," he added in the same blithe tone.

James gulped at his word choice. He babbled out an excuse very quickly. "I am so sorry, Professor Dumbledore, sir. I was in a hurry and wasn't paying attention to where I was going and then I turned the corner and then there you were and I hit you and then we fell down and this is all really Diggory's fault, and oh, Merlin, I am so sorry and--"

He was cut off by Dumbledore placing a hand on his back. "Breathe, James," Dumbledore advised the prattling teenager.

James nodded and then took a few cleansing breaths in and out. He then looked back up at his Headmaster with an anxious expression. To James's surprise, Dumbledore started chuckling.

"I haven't seen anyone look this nervous since I caught a First Year after curfew who misfired a spell and ended up surrounded by literally hundreds of spider monkeys."

"Spider monkeys, sir?" James asked amusedly.

"Spider monkeys, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore replied gravely, nodding.

"I am so very sorry, Professor," James said sincerely.

"It's quite alright, James," Dumbledore responded, his blue eyes twinkling behind his half-moon spectacles. "Forgiveness is an act of compassion that I am more than willing to supply. Sometimes we all need to be knocked off our feet. It keeps us grounded."

James frowned of the logic of that statement but then brought his focus back onto Dumbledore.

"May I be so bold to inquire why you were in such a hurry?"

"Quidditch practice, sir," James replied sheepishly.

"Ahh, yes," Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I see. You must be training very hard. The Final is in three days, is it not?"

"Yes, sir," James answered.

"Good luck, Mr. Potter. As Headmaster, I am, of course, impartial, but I know myself, and especially Minerva, would enjoy winning the Cup again this year. I happen to know that she has grown rather partial to having it sit in her office."

"Well, if it's for Professor McGonagall," James replied, stultifying a grin by biting down on his lip.

"You best be off to practice now, Mr. Potter."

"Oh, right!" James exclaimed, frantically looking down at his watch, yet again. He gulped and then started running down the corridor again.

"Watch the corner, Mr. Potter!" Dumbledore called after him.

"Thanks, Professor!" James yelled over his shoulder.

James sprinted down to the Quidditch Pitch and threw on his Quidditch robes in a slapdash manner. He joined practice, panting, heaving, and with his left sock protruding from his collar. The six other members of the team glared up at him.

"What happened to you?" Sirius asked perplexedly.

"Never mind that," Rory ignored him. "Why are you late? I thought we would be, and I quote, 'left in a locked cage with a starving Hungarian Horntail if we were even a minute late for practice—the most important practice of our lives.'"

James sighed. "It's a long story," he answered, placing his hands on his knees as he tried to calm down his gasping breaths.

"Does this delightful anecdote involve someone who rhymes with Schmevans?" Sirius asked.

"No," James replied. "But it does involve someone who rhymes with Schminnie," he added with a wink just to irk Sirius, who looked quite indignant at this reply. James laughed at Sirius's response to his almost lie. McGonagall was mentioned in his conversation with Dumbledore, albeit, it was very briefly, but Sirius did not need to know that. Let him think what he wanted.

"Let's play some Quidditch," Sirius said, grasping his beater bat menacingly in his hand.

"Let's," James agreed.

"C'mon, guys, we have a match to get ready for, and now that we are all here," Rory paused to glare at James. "We should get started."

"Yes, we have to beat Hufflepuff," James commanded.

The team nodded in assent and then took off into the air.

After the grueling practice was complete, James sent the team to the showers. He put the balls back into their respective places and then jogged up to talk to Abbey.

"You did really great today. I have a good feeling about those new plays. Your dives will greatly improve. As long as we can try to have a short, aggressive match, there is no reason why the Cup won't have our names on it!"

"Thanks, James," Abbey grinned at him. "You're the best Captain. I don't think we would have made it this far without you."

"The best Captain who's late for his own practice," James grumbled.

"Aww, come on. It was one time out of about a hundred. I've never seen anyone as dedicated as you. Do you still keep up with your morning workout?"

"Yep. Four miles every morning."

"You are positively bonkers," Abbey replied teasingly.

"Thanks , Abbs," James said, ruffling her hair. "Now, make sure you get some rest. I don't want my seeker sleep deprived before the big day."

"Okay, James," Abbey replied.

"You're the best," James grinned at her before rushing off to take his shower.

Abbey smiled as he departed, dazed in a James stupor. Sure, he had a girlfriend, but that didn't make him any the less charming.

James woke up especially early on the day before the Final. He had been performing his early morning pre-Final workout for weeks; it consisted of 500 crunches and 80 pushups, followed by a run around the grounds, a hundred laps around the Quidditch pitch on his broom, and, finally, he concluded his routine with quaffle drills: throwing, catching, and handling. James would then go out for a hearty breakfast in the Great Hall and be ready for classes at eight.

James, oddly energetic for only four-thirty in the morning, but what else could be expected from him, made his way into his common room, clad only in his pajama pants, which were adorned with quaffles. He stretched out his arms and calves before cracking his neck, his favorite way to prepare himself for a task. James crouched down onto the floor and started doing crunches: straight crunches, crunches to the side, push-throughs, and six inches. Then, he moved on to pushups. Near his 47th pushup, James heard a creak from across the room.

He paused, still in pushup position, and looked up. Lily emerged from her room, looking tired and confused. She looked so adorable in her little pajamas and pale blue robe. James got up and walked over to her, ruffling his hair in his fingers.

"Hey," Lily said sleepily.

"Hey, you," James returned, matching her quiet tone.

"What are you doing up so early?"

"I have to get ready for the Final," James replied.

"So you are doing pushups? Isn't that a bit much?"

"Nope," James answered. "It's part of my overall fitness, and it helps my flying. I need stamina. My running helps, as well."

"How far do you run?" Lily asked.

"Four, sometimes five, miles."

Lily's eyes bulged slightly. She frowned before asking, "And this is all before classes?"

"Yep," James replied.

"You're insane," Lily said.

James laughed. "Thanks."

"Is Quidditch really worth all this?"

James glared mutely at her.

"Okay, okay," Lily laughed. "I see your point. Quidditch rules all. Nothing is more important. Better?"

"Much," he replied, grinning.

"I must say, though, you do look a little tense, overworked, you know? It looks like your muscles need a little break," she concluded, eyeing his flawless, bare chest, spending a little too much time gazing at the light coating of hair leading down from his perfect abs and disappearing under his pants, which were only held together by a drawstring.

"And what do you suggest?" James asked, causing Lily to swallow her drool and look up.

"A massage?" Lily offered.

"That would be nice," James said.

"'Kay, come here," Lily replied, grabbing his hand and guiding him over to a couch.

Lily had James sit down and then squeezed herself behind him. She started with his shoulders, gently rubbing them with her fingers. James sighed, a sound meant to urge Lily to continue. She obliged and applied more pressure. She then proceeded to move on to his shoulder blades and then to his lower back. She ran her finger down his spine, allowing for her fingernail to lightly graze his skin. James groaned softly, which caused Lily to smile at his response. It was a very low, almost animalistic sound that caused Lily's insides to squirm, in a good way.

She moved back to his shoulders, gently planting kisses on his back and at the nape of his neck. James arched his head backwards, allowing her more access. After a while, it became too much for him, and James had no choice but to turn his head and kiss her. Lily kissed him back eagerly, although their position was slightly hindering them.

James must have realized this because he suddenly grabbed Lily and spun her around so that she was straddling him, her legs wrapped around his waist. Lily giggled at this but did not break the kiss. She used this as an opportunity to explore the planes of his abdomen that she had been ogling before. James eventually moved his lips to the base of Lily's throat as his fingers worked to untie her robe. When the knot was undone, James slipped his hands underneath Lily's tank top. Lily moaned, and her fingers rampaged through James's hair.

Neither could tell how long they just stayed on the couch, kissing. At around six-thirty, the Portrait Hole opened, unbeknownst to the snogging couple.

Sirius trounced into the room, clad in sweat pants and a T-shirt, looking around for his best mate. "Hey, Prongs!" he called out, still scanning the room. "I thought I'd join you on your run this—oh," he stopped, finally seeing the compromising position Lily and James were in. Sirius had the decency to look slightly abashed for them. Lily, who was bright red by now, pushed herself off of James and fixed her hair and tank top. James ran a quick hand through his disheveled hair.

Sirius smiled apologetically, trying to obviate any awkwardness. "Hey, guys, what's up?"

Then, he noticed a bulge in James's pajama pants that really shouldn't be there normally.

"Oh, that's what's up," Sirius exclaimed, his eyes as wide as Quidditch hoops. "I'm sorry, Evans, James. I didn't mean to. It's just that running, I wanted to run, and, you know, it's odd. I don't really go running much. I just thought that, you know, because of the Final, James might need someone to help with his nerves, but obviously, that's taken care of. Not that, I mean, oh piss," Sirius prattled.

"It's okay, Sirius," Lily stopped him.

"Yeah, quite alright," James agreed sourly.

"Alright then, well, I'm just gonna go. So you two can just, yeah, alright then," Sirius finished, nodding and rushing out of the room so quickly that it was almost as if he disapparated.

"Well, that was very odd, even for him," James said finally, staring at the spot Sirius had been moments before.

"Yeah," Lily concurred. "So you wanna go back to me calming your nerves?"

"I don't know if you were exactly calming them," James replied suggestively.

"I'm okay with that," Lily teased before returning to her previous position.

"Funnily enough," James replied, smiling at her. "So am I."

Later that day at after a last minute Quidditch practice, which was more for strategy than actual playing to preserve strength, Sirius approached James.

"I guess that what comes up must go down, huh?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

James laughed awkwardly. "That's a good one. You're a funny guy," he said weakly.

"I guess I didn't _come_ at the right time," Sirius continued.

"Very funny," James mused.

"Though, you did not seem to mind working your way in—to our conversation, that is."

"Bloody hilarious now," James muttered darkly.

"And I thought all your Quidditch talk was about bludgers, not those type of balls."

"Sirius, are you trying to awkward me to death, or do you just enjoy being a pain in my ass?" James asked.

Sirius chuckled. "Sorry, mate, I just had to get you back. I kinda froze in there when I saw you and Evans doing, well, each other, almost."

James grinned, despite himself, and shook his head. "Yeah," he agreed. "You were like a deer in the headlights."

"No," Sirius disagreed. "That would have been you, Prongs," he decided, throwing his arm around James's shoulder.

"Thanks, man," James replied.

"Not a problem, mate."

"This is a very strange conversation," James concluded.

"Indeed," Sirius assented.

"Alright then."

"See you tomorrow at the Final?" Sirius asked as James motioned to take a left towards the Heads' Dorm.

"Yeah," James replied. "I'll see you then."

"Just don't play any more 'Quidditch' before the match, okay, mate? We wouldn't want our Captain to be too tired from the workout."

"Go get some sleep, Sirius," James said.

"Love you too, James."

The next day, James woke up at his usual 4:30. Well, it was not so much as waking up as it was finally having the excuse to get out of bed. He had been tossing and turning all night long, occasionally allowing himself to check his watch. Every time, he would calculate how much sleep he had left. Five hours, four, three, two, and finally one. He had felt relieved when he could finally get up. However, his lack of sleep left him feeling lethargic and did nothing to calm his nerves. James could not find the strength to do his usual routine, so he grabbed his cloak and walked down to the kitchens.

When he reached the portrait, he could not find the desire within himself to tickle the pear. Although any food at any time was welcomed by James usually, even the thought of a piece of toast left him feeling nauseous. Not wanting to return to the Heads' Dorm, James walked aimlessly around the castle. He decided to go sit in the Quidditch Pitch. He was grateful it was almost summer, for his cloak was thin and cold temperatures would have made him hypothermic. James walked into the arena and sat down on the grass in the center of the Pitch.

He closed his eyes and pictured the soon-to-be-happening match. He could not lose. It was just not an option. He laid down and focused on this for an immeasurable amount of time. Then, after the sun had risen and he deduced it was late enough that people would be awake, James made his way back up to the castle to get dressed.

When he got back into his Dorm, Lily was still sleeping. James put on his Quidditch robes quietly and with more carefulness than was typical for him. When he was completely adorned in the scarlet robes and leather, he gazed at himself in his mirror, trying to coerce himself into believing that he was ready for the day. James then walked to the Great Hall and forced himself to eat a small breakfast. As his 

teammates joined him at the Gryffindor table, he force-fed them food and talked last-minute strategy with Abbey.

At around eleven, James ordered the team to go down to the Pitch. The match wasn't till twelve, but he wanted to give them plenty of time to prepare. He searched the Great Hall for Lily, but she was nowhere to be found. James wanted to wait for her, knowing that her presence would placate his worries, but he had no choice but to join his team at the Pitch.

The team finished getting ready. They performed their silly, good-luck rituals and grabbed their brooms. They all looked to James for his final pep talk before taking the field. James, who was more anxious about the match than all of them, cleared his throat loudly.

"Jack," James began, nodding to his Fifth Year keeper. "Do not let them score."

"Not even if I was under the Imperius Curse," he replied.

"Sirius, Rory, do that freaky same-mind thing that you two do so well and don't let any bludgers hit us."

"Unless you are being a prat, right, James?" Sirius asked.

James bit his tongue back. "Bill and Ashley? You guys are with me. We score, and we score often. Got it?"

"Scoring, yep," Bill squeaked, looking at Ashley, who he had been harboring a crush on for at least two years, if not more.

"And Abbey, just catch the snitch before Diggory," James said desperately.

"I'll do my best, James," Abbey replied with a timid smile.

"Guys, this is the big one. Our last match this season. My last match ever," James began.

"And ours," Sirius pointed out.

"Yes, don't forget us," Rory agreed.

"You're not the center of the bloody universe, mate," Sirius furthered the argument.

James laughed, grateful for his friends. "Right, well, this is the last match of many of our team. It has been a wonderful season."

Sirius murmured something under his breath, which caused Rory to giggle.

"I am very proud of all of your accomplishments and how far you have grown as players. But that is not what matters right now. We need to beat Hufflepuff. If we don't, all our countless practice hours will have gone to waste."

"And that would be dreadful ," Sirius interrupted him. "My bum and other parts of me have been sore since September. One would think that riding a broom would be more comfortable. I'd hate to think that my ability to have children was almost hindered for nothing."

James shook his head and continued. "So let's get out there and show them Gryffindor."

"For our bums!" Sirius cheered.

"Our bums!" the team echoed.

"Let's go," James called and opened the doors to the Pitch. The cheering of the crowd hit them instantaneously. It was like an explosion of sound. James sighed, mounted his broom, and took off, enjoying the feeling of the breeze rushing through his hair. He quickly scanned the stands for red hair until he found Lily. She was on her feet, screaming, next to Peter, Remus, and Sarah. Her hair was pushed back into a ponytail, and she was wearing a scarlet T-shirt with 'POTTER' written across her chest in gold letters. James smiled and flew to the center of the Pitch, where Madame Hooch and Diggory were waiting for him.

"Captains, shake hands," Madame Hooch instructed them.

James stared into Diggory's eyes. He thrust forth his hand and tried to put as much pressure on Diggory's fingers as he could muster, without ever breaking eye contact. Eventually, Diggory looked away. James smirked and then flew away in search of the quaffle. Within two minutes, he and his fellow chasers had scored fifty points, and Hufflepuff still had yet to score. James grinned as he flew towards the Hufflepuff keeper. He feinted to the left and then threw the ball through the center hoop and scored. James punched his fist into the air, reveling in the thunderous applause erupting from the Gryffindor end of the Pitch.

"Look out, mate!" he heard someone call.

James looked around quickly and swerved, narrowly missing a bludger that had been heading straight for his head. James sighed.

"You okay, Prongs?" Sirius yelled as he swung his bat, aiming the bludger at Diggory's head.

"Yeah, thanks, Sirius."

"Sure, we wouldn't want to mess up your face. This way, when Minnie pledges her undying love for me, we'll know it's not just because you look uglier than Snivellus."

"Just go hit some more bludgers!" James called to his friend.

"That I will do. Rory!" Sirius bellowed, practically across the Pitch as he zoomed past James in pursuit of his girlfriend.

James turned and started his own hunt for the quaffle. It was down by the Gryffindor end. James saw his keeper heading for the wrong hoop. "Jack, don't let him score!" James hollered, not really expecting there to be any difference. However, to his surprise, Jack swerved speedily and caught the quaffle with his fingertips. A fraction of a second earlier, it would have gone through the hoop. The score still remained 60-0 Gryffindor. "There you go, Jack!" James shouted happily.

Elated by Jack's play, James gripped his broom tightly and rushed forward. Ashley passed him the quaffle and James caught it easily and then quickly threw it to Bill. Bill advanced towards the goal, distracting the Hufflepuff keeper. He faked a pass to James and then threw it to Ashley, who easily made the goal.

"That's 70 to zero Gryffindor," James heard the familiar voice of Elliot Saunders, the school commentator. "Potter has obviously trained his team well. I haven't seen Gryffindor play this flawlessly in ages. As a matter of fact--"

James stopped listening. Abbey had just started diving. She was headed straight for the ground with Diggory following right behind her. As she advanced, Diggory seemed to pull ahead even more.

"Stupid intertia," James muttered under his breath.

Abbey and Diggory were neck and neck as both reached out for the snitch. Diggory's fingers were about to close around the golden ball when Abbey's arm suddenly collided with Diggory's shoulder, throwing him off balance. She then grabbed the snitch with her other hand and pulled out of her dive.

"That's my girl!" James bellowed, flying over to the mass of scarlet-clad people hugging and crying. He dismounted off of his broom and then hugged Abbey. "Amazing, Abbey!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks, James," she replied, blushing.

"James!" Sirius shouted, running to embrace his friend. "We bloody won!"

"I know!" James squealed.

They started jumping up and down together and acting like complete and utter idiots. Rory came over later and joined in on their ecstasy.

The spectators began to force their way onto the field, and James saw Remus, Peter, and Sarah cheering enthusiastically. Then suddenly, he spotted Lily sprinting towards him.

"Lils!" he yelled as she jumped into his arms and wrapped her legs around his torso.

She kissed him in earnest and thrust her fingers into his hair fiercely. When they broke apart, James smiled at her, wider than he thought was possible for a mouth. "We won!" he announced, letting her stand on her own feet, though not letting go of her.

"Yeah, we did!" she replied happily. "How's it feel?"

James looked at the gleeful expressions of his fellow Gryffindors, the snogging of Rory and Sirius, the image of McGonagall crying as Dumbledore passed her the cup, which he knew would soon be in his own grasp, and Diggory, slunked in the corner of the Pitch looking miserably unhappy.

"I don't think I've ever felt more perfect," James answered.

"Here's perfect plus one," Lily said, leaning in to kiss him again.

* * *

A/N: there's chapter 30! only two more chapters to go! i hope you enjoyed this one. go go gryffindor! haha. that cheer always makes me laugh! thanks for reading!


	31. He Exceeds My Expectations

Chapter 31

He Exceeds My Expectations

"Sirius," James whispered as loudly as he could, without allowing anyone else to overhear him. He sharply prodded Sirius's sleeping form with his wand repeatedly. "Sirius, mate! Bloody Merlin, Padfoot!" he hissed directly into his friend's ear.

"No Remus! Not the wig! I don't want to play that game with you anymore! James isn't even here!" Sirius voiced loudly, lifting his head up, as he suddenly escaped from his slumber.

"That's wonderful news, Mr. Black. I'm glad to see you have upped your standards. But what, praytell, does that have to do with my class?" McGonagall asked angrily, pausing her long lecture on human transfiguration.

"Nothing," Sirius replied apologetically, frantically wiping the small line of drool that had developed on his chin during his Transfiguration nap, trying to purge himself of any indications of grogginess. "Sorry, Minnie," he apologized, flashing her a knee-jerking grin.

"I'm sorry to have interrupted you from your sleep," McGonagall returned angrily, her lips shrinking into a thin line. "Obviously, with only a week before N.E.W.T.s, there is no need for you to pay attention in my class!" She scowled at him before turning to address the entire class.

"I know that the holiday is looming closer and many of you are too wrapped up in the warm weather to pay attention to your studies. However, I must stress to you the importance of your N.E.W.T.s. These examinations will affect your entire career- your entire future, really. Now is not the time to slack off, but rather, you all should be studying harder than ever. From my seven years spent with you as my students, I know that you are all talented and gifted individuals," she paused, her gaze landing on Sirius. "In one way or another," she finished pointedly. "I would hate to see you hinder yourselves because of some rubbish test scores. Therefore, everyone needs to pay attention in my class and not use it as a lie-down period. Is that understood, Mr. Black?"

"After all this time, Minnie, don't you think you could call me Sirius?"

"No, Mr. Black," she replied curtly.

"I'm gonna miss you, Minnie," Sirius continued, ignoring her answer. "Nobody ever quite looks so smashing giving a lecture about responsibility as you."

"Perhaps that's why you never can seem to retain any of it," McGonagall said in frustration.

"I dunno, I remember loads about animagi. I found that chapter very fascinating to paw my way through."

James forceufully kicked Sirius in the shins underneath his desk and sent him a sharp glare. Sirius simply shrugged him off and then sent McGonagall another toothy grin.

Thankfully, before Sirius could say anything else, or James could conjure up a muzzle for his friend, the period ended.

"Although there is no written assignment," Professor McGonagall said, her voice projecting even over the rustling sounds of the students packing up their books. "I expect that you will all spend some serious time studying."

At least Sirius made it out of the classroom before he started guffawing. "Sirius time studying. Oh dear, Minnie wants me so bad. You can just tell that she is itching for me to graduate, so she can have her wicked way with me," he concluded with a smirk.

"Honestly, Padfoot," James groaned. "If you don't stop, I'm going to take me wand out and just Silencio you already."

"You wouldn't!" Sirius exclaimed, faking a scandalized voice and placing his right hand over his heart.

"He would," Remus argued wryly. "And if by some cosmic joke, he was unable to, I would."

"Remus! I thought we had something special!"

"I would totally do it too," Rory agreed, eyeing Sirius with disdain.

"Rory, you are my girlfriend. You are supposed to love me!"

"I do love you, Sirius. For some reason even I can't still fathom, I love you. So, just do us all a favor, and shut the bloody hell up."

"Okay," Sirius shrugged, bending down to kiss her, placing his hands on her back to pull her closer.

"Ahh," Sarah grinned. "Silence. I don't think I've ever really appreciated it enough before."

"I know," Lily said. "Not having to hear Sirius constantly talking in the background is just so freeing."

"Though," Sarah argued. "You do get sort of used to it, I suppose. It's like he's a constant murmuring in the background. Atmosphere music to the soundtrack of every second of your life."

"At least you don't have to live with him," Peter added gloomily.

"Nope, Lily lucked out. She's living with me," James said, smiling at her.

"Lucky?" she teased. "I would have gone with damned by Merlin himself," Lily finished.

James pouted at her, his hazel eyes filling with sadness. Lily's heart melted. She reached up to tousle his hair with her fingers and then kissed him quickly on the lips.

"You know I love you," she said reassuringly.

"With all my heart," he finished for her.

"Too much PDA, guys!" Peter whined.

"What?" James joked. "Padfoot doing Aurora?"

Sirius, never breaking his lip-lock with Rory reached over to smack James in the back of the head.

"Ow!" James complained. "That bloody hurt, Sirius!"

"Come on," Lily said, grabbing her boyfriend's arm. "McGonagall's right. We need to do some seri--intense studying before N.E.W.T.s."

"You're right, Lily," Remus replied. "I have a lot of Potions work I need to go over if I even want to hope to scrape an A."

"I doubt that, Remus," Sarah said. "You'll probably get at least an Exceeds Expectations without even trying."

"Sass and I are going to go study in the Common Room. See you guys later at dinner," Remus announced, intertwining his hand with Sarah's before departing from the group.

"James and I are going to get going, too," Lily said.

"Where are we going?" James asked, following Lily obediently.

"The library," she answered.

"I hate the library!" James whined. "Save me, Sirius!"

"Sorry, mate!" Sirius yelled out to him, wrapping an arm around Rory's shoulder. "It's your own fault for being bloody obsessed with Evans!"

"Lily!" James whined, giving her name far too many syllables as he shut his copy of Advanced Potion Making with a thud. "We've been studying for hours," he complained, rocking his rickety, wooden chair back onto its hind legs.

"It's been forty-five minutes," she said, not even bothering to look up from her Herbology notes.

"My brain hurts."

"That's probably because it's not used to all of this thinking," she replied, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Hey!" James responded indignantly, his chair slamming forward.

Lily shushed him. "We're in a library," she reminded James, sneaking a glance at Madame Pince, who looked preoccupied for the time being as she checked out the books of some Ravenclaw.

"I hate libraries. They're all musty and smelly. And how are you supposed to know what other people have done with the books? I've found that people can be pretty disgusting sometimes. I don't want to touch the same things as them."

"James," Lily stopped him, finally looking up from her notes. "I appreciate that you are in the library with me, even though it, apparently, repulses you. However, I really need to study. You know how you acted last week because of the Final? Well, now it's my turn to freak out. Because for me, N.E.W.T.s are my Quidditch, and I need to obsess over Katie's diving techniques and the Devil's Snare. Please just be a good boy and keep still for another half an hour."

James agreed and then tried to read his textbook again, to no avail. He just couldn't concentrate. It was too quiet. Living with Sirius, James never really got used to silence. He found it unnerving. So, instead of wasting time trying to memorize a bunch of rubbish, he decided to fall back onto his favorite hobby: starring at Lily.

His eyes glazed over as he watched her mouth shape the words she was reading off of her parchment. Her eyes were looking down, giving James the perfect view of her dark, sooty eyelashes. Lily had put her red curls up into a messy bun, which made it easier for James to glimpse her neck and collarbone before they disappeared into her white blouse.

"James," Lily interrupted his oogling. "Stop looking at me."

"Why?" he asked, bringing his attention to her emerald green eyes.

"I can't concentrate with you looking at me like that."

"Really?" James asked, obviously very pleased with himself.

"Really," she answered exasperatedly. "Please, only twenty more minutes."

"Alright, I'll behave."

However, not even five minutes later, James was bored again. He stole a glance at Lily. Merlin, she looked so tempting studying. He leaned over in his chair to kiss her neck. He planted light kisses on her neck and then up to her ear, nibbling on it a bit. After, hearing her release a quiet moan, he moved down her neck with more purpose towards her collarbone.

"James," Lily said, a little unsteadily. "Stop it. You're distracting me."

"Is that such a bad thing?" James inquired between kisses.

"Yes," Lily gasped. "Very bad."

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh."

"Because I could stop, if you really wanted me to."

"I-I-I-" Lily stuttered on the word. "I do. Please stop," she said finally.

"Okay," James replied dejectedly, surrendering and slumping back into his chair.

Lily turned to face him with a curious expression on her face. "Why aren't you studying? Aren't you worried about you N.E.W.T.s at all?"

James shrugged. "I've never found the conventional methods of studying applied to me very well. In First Year, I discovered my own technique that I have perfected throughout the years."

"Which is?" Lily asked, urging him to share.

James tugged at his hair nervously and sighed. "I relate everything to you," he answered her embarrassedly.

"What?" Lily asked, nonplussed.

"I find that if I can associate some part of the subject matter to you in some way, it makes it easier for me to memorize it."

"That makes no sense."

"Here, I'll show you. What are you studying right now?"

"I'm studying the notes we have on gillyweed."

"Couldn't have asked for anything better," James replied, grinning. "You can use gillyweed to breathe underwater, which would have been very helpful to me when you oh-so-lovingly pushed me into the Lake. Plus, I happen to know that you don't like that taste of squid, so you probably would not find using gillyweed a very enjoyable experience."

Lily stared at him in amazement.

"Need a search party for some words?" James asked amusedly.

Lily shook her head, gaining her basic motor functions back in the process. "You really use me to help remember all of your notes?"

"Yep," James replied. "What do you have next?" He grabbed her parchment and then scanned it quickly. "Mimbulus Mimbletonia, that's a simple one as well. They're green, which obviously reminds me of you because of your eyes. Also, it's a cactus, so like you it has a rough outer shell with all sorts of gooey love, or rather, just goo inside. As the plant matures, it starts to croon when touched, which you do, as well. You sometimes make 'mmm' sounds when this happens, especially if I am in the vicinity of your neck, which leads us back to Mimbulus Mimbletonia by means of alliteration."

"James Potter, you need to seek help."

"Really?" he asked amusedly.

"A professional. One that can administer medication," Lily replied adamantly, staring at him in awe.

"Is it such a bad thing that I love you?" he asked.

"No offense, James, but the only magic I can even relate to you is the Engorgio charm."

James smirked at this, straightening up in his chair. Lily noticed this and then smacked him on his chest.

"I meant your oversized head, you prat," she said.

"Sure you do, Lils."

"Come on. I'm not making any progress at all. I can't concentrate around you."

"Don't worry, with what I have in mind, there won't be anything thinking required."

"Sounds interesting," Lily replied with a smile.

"Oh, it will be," James said, winking at her.

After a fashion, Lily and James joined their friends at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"Get any studying done?" Sarah asked Lily as she sat down.

"A little," Lily answered with a meek smile.

"I know what you mean," Sarah replied. "Studying with your boyfriend in kissing distance makes things rather difficult."

"Or you could just not study at all, but rather, practice some much more important skills," Sirius chimed in with a smirk.

"Do you see what I have to deal with?" Rory said angrily.

"Aww, come on," Sirius replied, nudging her playfully on the shoulder. "You enjoy it."

"That's not the point," Rory said, ignoring the light pink tinge on her cheeks. "I have loads to study and no time to do it. I don't know how I'm going to get it all from the books into my head."

"You can just apply it to me," Lily sighed. "Apparently it works."

"What?" Sarah asked.

"It's this thing James does," Remus explained. "He uses Lily as a learning tool. By applying some term to an attribute of hers, he finds it easier to memorize. Once James has made up his Lily connection, I don't think I've ever seen him forget it. This way, he can study while doing his favorite thing in the world: gawking at Lily. It's probably the smartest thing he's ever come up with."

"Always has Evans on the brain, that one," Sirius laughed.

"So you just think of how it relates to Lily and you can remember it?" Sarah questioned James.

"Err, yeah," James answered.

"Can you do some for us?" Rory asked.

"Have him do incantations. Those are my favorite," Peter snickered.

James shot him a look but then turned to everyone else to begin.

"Let's do an easy one," Remus proposed. "How about the bedazzling hex?"

"Okay," James said gratefully. "The bedazzling hex dazzles a witness, not letting them see the magical item being enchanted. It's used quite a bit with invisibility cloaks. Lily used to dazzle me before we were going out and then disappear quickly while I just stood there, rooted to the spot like a moron. Thus when I could finally function, it was like she had disappeared."

The girls laughed at his explanation. "Cheering charm?" Rory asked.

"Simple. Lily makes me feel happy."

"Jelly-legs Jinx," Sarah suggested.

"When I'm around Lily, sometimes my knees wobble. She makes me feel like jelly, just with a smile," James shrugged.

"The shield charm."

"Protego begins the same way as 'Prongs' does. When I'm in my animagus form, my goal is to protect Lily from any kind of harm."

"The disarming spell," Remus initiated.

"The spell of the charm is red. Lily's hair always manages to leave me stupefied."

"And lastly, the killing curse," Sirius said.

"When Lily's green eyes evade me, I feel like I want to die," James answered simply.

"Woah," Sarah breathed.

James looked at her with a confused expression.

"What she means is dump Lily," Rory interpreted.

James turned his head to shoot a perplexed glance at Rory.

"Dump Lily and marry me," Rory finished.

James laughed. "No can do," he replied. "I already have my girl," he wrapped his arm around Lily, kissing her on the top of the head.

"Lucky," Rory whistled.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," Sirius growled.

"I know," Rory sighed. "Be more like James."

"Bloody hell," Sirius muttered, looking skyward.

A few nights later, Lily and James were back in their Heads' Common Room studying. Lily peeked up from her Potions book to see James trying very hard to concentrate on his Defense Against the Dark Arts notes.

"Look at you studying," Lily cooed.

"Probably the only time you'll ever see it," James replied.

"Do you want to stop the madness and take a break?" she asked knowingly.

"Yes, please," James answered in a breathy voice.

"Okay, what do you want to do?"

"Kitchens!" James yelled, grabbing her hand and rushing out the door.

Once they had exited the Dorms, James threw Lily onto his back, making her scramble to pin her arms around his neck, and sprinted to the kitchens. Once there, he let Lily down and scratched the pear, making it giggle. He helped Lily inside, and they were greeted by the obedient faces of many house-elves.

"Is Katie here?" he asked.

"Mr. Potter!" she said, emerging from the crowd.

"Hi, Katie!" James greeted her, giving her a hug, causing her to blush.

"It's good to see you, Master Potter, you too, Miss" she said happily.

"After all this time, can't you just call me James, Katie?" James asked.

"What can I get for you, James?"

"Lily and I would like some ice cream."

"Ohh, that sounds good," Lily replied. "Make mine mint chocolate chip."

"Katie, can we trouble you for two mint chocolate chip sundaes?"

"It will be no trouble at all, Mr. Potter," she replied, rushing off to go make the desserts.

"You certainly have a way with females, James. Rory, Sarah, and now Katie? I'm going to have to beat them off with a stick."

"I'm just fine as it is, Miss Evans."

"Just fine?"

"Did I say fine?" James laughed. "I meant ridiculously and incandescently happy," he corrected.

"That's better," Lily replied, laughing as well.

"Here is your ice cream, Mr. Potter," Katie said, showing him the two bowls.

"Thanks, Katie," James said appreciatively. "Have a good night."

"You too, James!"

Lily and James walked back to their Dorm, flirting and eating their ice cream the entire time.

On the morning of their first exam, James woke up early. Too his surprise, after he had taken his shower and gotten dressed, he heard the shower turn on inside the bathroom. James was shocked. Lily had willingly woken up for the first time before seven all term. "N.E.W.T.s really must be her Quidditch," James muttered to himself. James snuck into the bathroom and used his finger to write the message, "Love you, Lils," onto the foggy mirror. Then, he exited the Heads' Dorms and walked to the Owlery. He had previously sent a letter to his mum and was awaiting a very important package.

After all of his errands had been completed, James went down to the Great Hall to eat some breakfast before his first exam, which was Potions.

As he ate his waffles, drenched in syrup, James's friends sporadically plopped themselves down at the table beside him.

"I hate bloody exams," Sirius announced, sitting down. "They are such a ruddy waste of time. I already know it all. Why do I need to take some rubbish test to prove it?"

"A tad cranky this morning, Padfoot?" James asked amusedly.

"No, I just loathe testing."

"Me too," Peter added. "I always do so awful on tests."

"That's not the exam's fault, mate," Sirius laughed.

"Do you think today will be hard?" Sarah asked the group.

"I dunno," Remus replied. "I suppose they are meant to challenge us, though, it is mostly an accumulation of everything we have learned, so I don't think they can throw anything new in."

"Let's just get these bloody exams over with," Rory murmured.

"Hear, hear!" Sirius agreed, toasting his girlfriend with his pumpkin juice.

"Potions isn't so bad," Lily said. "I doubt they can give us any really difficult potions because they wouldn't fit into the time allowance we have for the exam. We are only given about an hour and a half for the practical."

"That's a good point," Remus mused.

"Just remember, Lily, amortentia," James whispered in her ear. "Mine's always smelled like lavender."

"Seventh Years!" Professor McGonagall voiced loudly to the Great Hall. "Please follow me as you take your appropriate seats to begin your exams."

James kissed Lily on the cheek, smiled at his friends, gave Sirius a manly head nod, and then went to go sit by the other Ps.

Once the Potions N.E.W.T. was completed, which James felt he did very well on, except for a slight discoloration of his Shrinking Potion during his practical, James took his Transfiguration exam and then his Muggle Studies, as well.. Transfiguration went flawlessy; it had always been James's favorite and best subject. Although James had to admit that it was not an entirely useless class, he had really only taken Muggle Studies to understand Lily better and to, perhaps, impress her a little with his willingness to do anything for her. The exam had really been a breeze. The practical consisted of only talking the correct way into a fellytone.

The next day, James sat through the Divination and History of Magic exams. Since they were both rubbish classes that he did not need to take to become an Auror anyway, James had not put in terribly much effort to prepare for these examinations. He wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with Ts on both of them. Plus, it had been worth it when he had predicted his future would result in him and Sirius getting married and adopting Remus's rather furry children as their own. The look on his prompter's face had been priceless.

On the third day, he took his final three exams. Charms and Herbology had been completed in the morning. Now, he was on his last question of his Defense Against the Dark Arts exam.

200. Please explain the five signs to identify a werewolf in the most complete way possible.

James had to cover his mouth with the back of his hand to prevent his snorts of laughter from disrupting the students around him who were still quite immersed in their tests. James, still grinning to himself, wrote out a very complete answer. When he was finished, he set down his quill, not bothering to check his answers. He sat back in his chair, ruffled his hair, and enjoyed his new freedom. About thirty minutes later, the test concluded, and he was free to leave.

James walked out of the Great Hall jauntily and was quickly caught up with by the rest of the Marauders.

"So how did you like the last question?" Sirius asked. "I found it quite howling myself."

"I can't believe that they still kept it since the O.W.L.s," Remus said, smiling nostalgically to himself, recalling the day two years ago.

"I'm still not sure if I got them all," Peter admitted.

"Oh, Pete, why we even bother to keep you around?" Sirius murmured.

"You, guys, I think I know where we should go," James announced.

He locked eyes with Sirius, who broke out into a wide grin. "Nice thinking, mate," Sirius complimented.

Soon, the Marauders found themselves by the lake where they had previously finished their other exams. They had been laughing and cracking jokes for at least fifteen minutes before Lily, Sarah, and Rory approached them.

"Hey, James!" Lily greeted her boyfriend enthusiastically as she neared him. She flung out her arms to embrace him and then kissed him lightly.

James smiled as he brought his mouth away from hers. "I must say, this sure beats last time," he murmured.

"What did you say?" Lily asked.

"Nothing, Lils," James replied.

"Exams are over," Sarah stated, sighing contentedly. The group walked to sit by the massive birch tree near the lake. James sat down, resting his back on its trunk, and motioned for Lily to join him. Lily complied, snuggling up to him and leaning back to relax against his chest. James absentmindedly began playing with her hair.

"I wonder," Sirius mused. "Rory, would you consider going back up to my dorm and celebrating this milestone, the good old-fashioned way?"

"And what would that entail?" Rory asked, indulging him.

"Oh, you know, snogging each other senseless and then maybe leading into something a bit more Sirius," he finished, snickering at his own pun.

"Bloody hell, Sirius! Not ruddy now!" Remus cried exasperatedly.

"I was surprised that the Summoning Charm was on there. We learned that ages ago. Oddly enough, I still remember James's little trick for that one. Don't you Prongsie? Something about Accio having two Cs and Lily also having two--

Sirius's mouth continued to move, but no sound came out of it. James lowered his wand after performing a silencing charm on his friend. "That should take care of him."

Sirius opened his mouth to snap at James, even though nothing came out. His eyes widened, and he began to mouth rude profanities and started to make obscene gestures with his hands. This only caused his friends to go into fits of hysteria.

"Thank you, James Potter," Remus sighed appreciatively.

* * *

A/N: haha. this chapter title makes me laugh. at hpff, i write summaries to individual chapters, as well. and it is "really? i'd say he's more outstanding." haha. that's why i wrote sweet. to amuse myself. and it really worked. i hope you get a kick out of it too! oh, and aren't you just ticked that hp6 was moved to july? JULY?? grrr. i have a feeling hp fans who don't like twilght (not i) are not exactly wearing team edward t-shirts right now. there seems to be some very fickle fandoming going on right now...

only one chapter left!


	32. Pomp and Circumstance

Chapter 32

Pomp and Circumstance

"Merlin, I'm bored," Sirius complained as he stretched his arms over the couch he was sprawled on in the Gryffindor Common Room with the rest of the gang.

"Sirius, we've only been done with our N.E.W.T.s for three days. Surely, you cannot be bored already," Sarah insisted.

"Yes," Remus agreed. "Weren't you the one saying that your brain had been liquefied because of all the testing?"

"Do you reckon that could ever actually happen?" Peter asked curiously through bites of his fourth chocolate frog.

"Really, Wormtail?" James asked dryly.

"Sorry," Peter apologized, shrugging as he reached for another frog.

"Sirius, we've been driving ourselves up the wall studying. This has been the first real break we've had in nearly a month. I don't think it's possible to be bored already," Rory insisted.

"Nope, I'm definitely bored," Sirius said.

"Sirius, mate, you're my best friend," James told him sincerely as he grinned at his friend. "But sometimes you are the biggest prat in the universe."

"I thought that was your title, James," Lily teased, messing up his hair with her fingers.

"Aww, thanks, Lils," James replied sardonically in a sugary sweet voice.

"Personally," Remus voiced as he brought his attention away from the flickering flames that were roaring in the fireplace. "I'm rather pleased that we have a break before the end of term. We get to enjoy our last few days at Hogwarts in peace."

"That's so weird! 'Our last few days!' I can't believe school's over," Rory replied.

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "After seven years, they are finally kicking us out."

"James, mate, do you remember when we had that expulsion scare in Fifth Year?"

James nodded and snickered. "I almost felt bad for the Slytherins."

"Almost being the imperative word there," Sirius agreed, mimicking James's mischievous grin.

"I'm gonna miss the Castle," Lily sighed. "It's been my home for so long. All of my important events have happened in these walls."

"Like getting together with James," Sarah said.

"And snogging James," Rory added.

"And how James is going to—" Sirius began, but James silenced him with a swift kick in the shin.

"Not all of my life is about James," Lily argued.

"Just the best parts, right, Lils?" James asked, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

"If you want to call them that," Lily responded, biting back a smile.

"I dunno," Rory contemplated, returning to an earlier subject. "I'm pretty excited about moving on."

"That's because you get to play Quidditch for the Wimbourne Wasps," Sirius grumbled.

"Jealous, Sirius?" Rory taunted.

"You get to play Quidditch!" Sirius reiterated. "And you get to be paid for it."

"You're just mad because I'm a better Beater than you."

"You are not! I could have moved on to the professionals, too, if James and I hadn't decided to be bloody aurors."

"Yes," Sarah chimed in. "Those who can't be healers become aurors," she teased, reveling in the prestige of her future profession.

"Being an auror is much better than being a healer. You get to duel dark wizards. Healers just mop up the mess," James argued.

"He's right," Sirius added. 'Being an auror is like living the dream."

"So you are giving up a life filled with Quidditch fame for the dream of becoming an auror with your boyfriend," Remus snickered.

"How sweet," Sarah agreed.

"We are not a gay couple!" James and Sirius shrieked together.

"Do you guys realize that they have to repeat that far too often?" Peter asked.

"Obviously there must be some truth to it, Pete," Remus replied, his eyes aglow with amusement.

"Is there?" Lily asked Rory.

"Not even a little bit," Rory answered, making Sirius smirk with cockiness.

"Maybe it's just James then," Lily mused.

"Guys, let's just sit back and enjoy our remaining time together," James said, stopping all the chuckling and side conversations.

After a couple of hours, the group dispersed, breaking off into couples. Remus and Sarah, however, decided to stay in the Common Room. This was mostly because Sarah had drifted off to sleep in Remus's arms. He had thought she looked too peaceful to wake her. Instead, Remus watched her sleep as he played with her brown hair, twirling it in between his long fingers. Her eyes were shut and her mouth was slightly agape, drawing attention to her lips.

Eventually, Sarah stirred. She yawned and smiled up at Remus. "Hi," she greeted him sleepily.

"Hi, Sassy," Remus replied, bending down to kiss the top of her head.

"Where'd everybody go?" she asked, looking around.

"They left about a half-hour ago."

"So you've just been watching me sleep since then?"

"Yep."

"That's a little stalkery," Sarah teased, sitting up and nudging Remus in the arm.

"I was trying to commit everything about you to memory," Remus whispered. "Your hair," he said, running his fingers through it. "Your eyes," he continued, trailing his fingers along the contours of her face. "Your smile." He paused before saying, "Your lips."

Sarah gasped quietly as Remus deepened the kiss that inevitably took place after that little speech.

When the couple broke free, breathing heavily, Remus rested his forehead onto Sarah's. "I love you," he told her.

"I love you too, Remus. And just so you know, you don't need to be able to recall me perfectly."

"Why's that?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

Rory giggled as she raced Sirius to the Room of Requirement. He beat her by only a second. "Okay," she gasped, struggling to breathe. "What is it that you require?"

Sirius grinned at her and then walked in front of the room three times before a door appeared, admitting them entrance.

Rory laughed as she entered the room. "A bed, Sirius? I should have known," she joked.

Her laughter subsided when she saw the intense expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Nothing," Sirius realized. "Absolutely nothing's wrong. For the first time in my life, I feel like everything is right. I've never felt like that before."

"Things have been feeling a lot like that for me, as well," Rory agreed slowly.

"And it's not just because school is over or because my best mates and I are all together. It's because of you, Aurora Daniels. No girl has ever made me feel the way you do. You are on my mind constantly, and I never want to be away from you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Sirius," Rory said.

"Rory, the bed is here for a reason," Sirius murmured cautiously.

"Yeah, I figured that."

"Would it be okay? I mean, Merlin, I've never done this before--"

"Really? Are all the Marauders so inexperienced then, as well? Sarah is obviously the lucky one, I suppose. You never would guess by looking at him that Remus was the only one that's not a prude," Rory rambled, trying to ease the tension.

"Rory," Sirius said, eliminating all the space between the two of them. "Rory," he whispered urgently into her ear and then once more in a far gentler tone.

"Okay," she decided, staring into his gray eyes with her blue ones.

"Lils!" James yelled from his room as he yanked out every item of clothing from his many drawers, haphazardly throwing them onto his bed.

"What?" she shouted back from a couch in their Common Room.

"Have you seen my shirt?"

"Why are you looking for a shirt?"

"I'm packing," James answered from his room as he scanned the heaps of clothes on his bed and floor.

"James!" Lily scolded. "We still have one more day before our graduation. Why are you packing at—" Lily paused to glance at her watch. "12:12 at night?" she finished.

"I felt the inspiration to pack," he replied, not seeing Lily shake her head at his capricious nature. "I want to get it done early, anyway. Now, to go back to my original question, have you seen my shirt?"

"Which shirt?"

"My shirt!"

"You have to be more specific than that, James!" Lily called, chuckling. "You have dozens of shirts!"

"It's shirtlike!"

"That's real helpful!"

"Oh, Merlin, it's the one that says, 'Save a Broom, Ride a chaser' on the front!"

"Yeah, I've seen it!"

"Well," James began in frustration. "Where is it?"

"Hang on," Lily replied, dragging herself off of the couch to go into her bedroom. About a minute later, she walked into James's room with the aforementioned shirt in hand.

"Here you go," she said, handing it to him.

"Why did you have my shirt?"

Lily shrugged. "I dunno. It reminds me of you, I guess. It still has your smell imprinted in it. It's my favorite pajamas."

James blanched. "Wait, you wear this to bed?"

"It's big enough on me to fit like a nightgown," she explained.

"Never mind, you can keep it," James said, giving it back to her.

"Thanks," Lily replied, returning his smile.

"Oh, Sweet Merlin, that girl," James murmured to himself as he watched her leave his room.

The next day, Lily started packing up her clothes, as well, ignoring James's snide comments about his belongings already being ready to transport. She shut him up, however, when she reminded him that he had been up till four in the morning packing and it had only taken her about an hour. The couple met up with the rest of the group for lunch, spending time together until dinner. They reminisced about past years' memories and made odd predictions about the future. Sirius and Rory seemed particularly happy.

In the late evening, the Marauders excused themselves from their significant others in the Gryffindor Common Room and anxiously climbed up the stairs to the Marauder Dorm. A few minutes later, they emerged from the stairs, their eyes glinting with impishness.

"You aren't going to tell us what you are up to, are you?" Lily asked, eyeing the boys.

"Not in the likely, Evans," Sirius replied as he followed Remus out of the Common Room.

"Meet you in our Dorm later, Lils," James told her, winking, before he, too, exited.

"We have the strangest boyfriends," Sarah sighed after all of the boys were out of sight.

"Seriously," Rory added before all three girls broke out into fits of giggling.

The boys began their quest at the kitchens, food being positively necessary for the night's upcoming events. Plus, the house-elves had extra treacle tart left over from dinner, which, after all, was James's favorite. From there, they moved on to the Great Hall.

Peter removed the hoards of dungbombs he had hidden in his cloak and strategically placed them inside the room, awaiting their time to be sent off the next morning; their odor had been charmed to be only apparent to the Slytherins. Remus was in charge of putting a complicated charm on the tables of the other houses's tables that would make them all change the color of all of the Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff student's uniforms into scarlet and gold, placing the words "Gryffindor: The Only House Worthy of the Marauders" on the back of their robes. Sirius, who had always been fond of bright colors, set up the fireworks that were also charmed to ignite the next morning during breakfast. James had the job of enchanting the ceiling sky to form clouds the next morning in the shape of a werewolf, a rat, a dog, a stag, and, of course, seeing that he was James, a lily.

After each Marauder had completed his specific assignment, they worked together to turn every surface of the Great Hall into Gryffindor colors. The floors, tables, even the spoons were a rich, golden color. Meanwhile, the walls, draperies, and portraits became scarlet. Once the Great Hall had been fully decorated, the boys moved on to the rest of the school. They separated, wands out as they transformed the Castle. After about an hour, they met up at the entrance to the Slytherin Common Room.

"I think this calls for something special, boys," Sirius said, his eyes practically overly mischievous.

"What did you have in mind, Padfoot?" James asked, grinning with excitement.

"Well, Moony, seeing as you know the most about the subject, how do you feel about howling?"

"Nothing like it, Padfoot," Remus replied, even he being unable to resist the thrill of misbehaving.

"Good. Because I was thinking the Slytherins have been expecting some post."

"Excellent," Peter breathed with a wicked grin.

The boys spent the better part of an hour coming up with witty, obnoxious things to greet the Slytherins up with the next morning. They had all agreed that the best howler was the one that urged the Slytherins to "find out for themselves what happens when you tickle a sleeping dragon, especially when they are sporting enough grease in their hair to really combust." 

As they were about to leave the area, Sirius noticed something silver whizzing above them. He squinted up at it and then smirked.

"Oi, Peeves!" he shouted.

Peeves turned around, cackling malevolently, but then nearly smiled when he saw the speaker.

"Sirius!" he replied in a voice that could be compared to admiration. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Just having one last prank," Sirius answered, smiling roguishly at his friends.

"It looks like it will be your best," Peeves answered appreciatively.

"Hey, Peeves, can you do us a favor?" Sirius asked.

"Anything for the Marauders," Peeves replied instantly.

"Give this slime," Sirius jerked his head in the direction of the Slytherin Dorm. "Some trouble."

"Marauder style," James added, grinning widely.

"Happy to oblige!" Peeves responded naughtily before zooming away.

"Where to now, do you reckon?" Peter asked.

"Where's the nearest broom closet?" James responded.

"See, mate, that's why people are always saying you don't ride your broom straight, if you know what I mean. You just can't say that kind of stuff when you are around guys as attractive as Moony and I. No offense, Pete."

"None taken."

"I wasn't offering to snog you, Sirius," James replied, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, were you looking for something a little more interesting?" Sirius retorted with an impish wink.

"We have one more thing we need to do," James announced.

"Oh, right," Sirius replied, sobering up instantly. "To the broom closet where _almost_ all of Prongs's sick fantasies about Evans came true!" he declared, marching forward.

At their destination, the boys huddled around each other outside the closet, and James removed the Marauder's Map from his pocket. He tapped his wand to the parchment as all four boys said in unison, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

They examined the Map for a period of time, savoring its magic for the last time.

"Dumbledore is always pacing, isn't he?" Remus asked, motioning towards a part of the parchment.

"It's to make up for all the pent-up sexual aggression he has," Sirius replied knowledgeably.

"Not the story with McGonagall again, Sirius," Peter sighed.

"No, Wormtail. That's rubbish. Dumbledore doesn't exactly drink from the same pumpkin juice as the rest of us, minus James, of course."

"Sirius, you never cease to amaze me," Remus replied in awe.

"Yeah," James added. "You take stupidity to so many new levels," he teased, resulting in him getting elbowed in the ribs. "Ohh, Lily is in my room!" James said, pointing to the spot on the map.

"And your love of Evans will always astound me, mate," Sirius laughed.

"I'm gonna miss this," Remus sighed.

"Marauders for life, Moony," Sirius told him.

"Of course we are. How could I be so foolish as to ever think anything else, eh, Wormtail?"

"Isn't that the truth, Padfoot?" Peter asked.

"Siriusly speaking, right, Prongs?"

"Marauders always," James concluded as he motioned for the others to help him wipe the map clear. "Mischief Mangaged," all four boys whispered in unison. Together, they folded the map and slipped it under the door of the broom closet, ready to await the next band of troublemakers who would wreak havoc upon the school.

After parting from his friends, James walked jauntily back to the Heads' Dorm, an ecstatic grin still etched upon his face, even despite the extreme lateness of the hour. Although Violet seemed very irked that James had disturbed her slumber, so tired, even, that she did not even attempt to flirt with him, nothing could dampen his spirits as he told her, "Lily going stag," and meandered to his bed, where he found an already sleeping redhead waiting for him, wearing _his _shirt.

The next morning, the inhabitants of Hogwarts woke up to find themselves in quite a perplexing situation. It took the teachers all day to remove their spells and make the Castle suitable for the graduation ceremony the next day. However, by the way McGonagall's eyes shone when she first glimpsed the Great Hall covered in Gryffindor lavishness, James could have swore she did not really mean it when she said she was going to follow through on her threat to make the Marauders all start over again as First Years next year so they would finally learn something. After all, James doubted the woman could take much more of Sirius.

On the morning of graduation, James rushed off to the Marauder Dorm to get dressed with his friends. Unfortunately, he's James.

"Merlin, James," Sirius said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Don't you know any other hour besides six in the bloody morning?"

"Sorry, Padfoot, it's an important day."

"And some of us need our beauty sleep," Sirius countered sleepily before flopping face-first back onto his bed and covering his head with his pillow.

James laughed before stealing the pillow out of Sirius's grasp. "You've already been replaced as Hogwarts's Number One Hottie, Number Two. Stop trying."

This got Sirius up. "I'm not number two! You're number two!"

"Oh," Remus said, his hair still damp from the bucket of water James had poured onto him as a wake-up call. "Are you guys still fighting over who is second to my extreme sexiness?" Remus asked, a smirk still lingering on his face from the night before.

"Why can't I ever be the hottest Marauder?" Peter asked.

Then, all four boys broke out into hysterical laughter.

After they stole Remus's "secret" supply of chocolate and ate it as breakfast, the boys took turns taking showers and got ready for the upcoming ceremony.

"I just don't know if I can do this," James told Remus as he re-tied his tie for the umpteenth time.

"Is this what you want?" Remus asked him.

James looked him earnestly in the eyes. "More than anything," he admitted.

"Then you can do it," Remus encouraged him simply.

"Okay," James said. "I can do this."

"You can do this."

"I can do this," James repeated again.

"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, emerging from his shower. "Or, whom, I suppose would be more appropriate," he finished with a grin.

"Shut up, Sirius," James retorted, trying to hide his grin. James's fingers moved back to trying to fix his tie. "Rubbish tie," he muttered, grabbing at his untidy hair. "What's the point of wearing one if it won't even bloody tie. It's a _tie_. It's supposed to ruddy tie!"

"Here," Remus said soothingly before whipping out his wand and charming James's tie into place.

"Thanks."

"Ready to go graduate, guys?" Peter asked.

"I can do this," James whispered to himself before following his friends out of their Dorm.

At the graduation, James saw Lily, but he didn't have time to talk to her because he was rushed into his seat on the make-shift stage in the Great Hall. He spotted his mum and dad in the audience and waved to them, but his mum was too busy trying to get Sirius's attention to notice her own son. "Figures," James muttered under his breath. He straightened up in his chair as Dumbledore called everyone to order and began his speech. James felt bad for not really listening to his speech, knowing it would probably be filled with wisdom and inspiration, but he was too busy fiddling with something in the pocket of his dress robes.

James heard Sirius's name being called, which caused him to finally pay attention to his environment. Sirius strode up to Dumbledore, clapping the old man on the back before he approached McGonagall.

"Oh, Minne, I'm going to miss you," he told her, his voice filling the Great Hall.

"I'm sure that we will see each other again, despite you no longer being my student," she told him curtly, though James could swear he saw her lips curl into a smile.

"That would be lovely," he replied before beginning to walk away.

"Is that really it, Mister Black?" McGonagall called to him, surprising James and Sirius immensely. "After seven years of sexually harassing me, you finally stop once you graduate?"

James covered his mouth with his hand to stultify his snickering.

"As much as we both know you want me to, Minnie," Sirius answered her with a wink, walking towards her again. "I am already in love with the most amazing girl, and I won't do anything to jeopardize that, even if you have been pining for me since First Year when you met me at the Sorting. Ours will always be a forbidden love, Minnie," he whispered to her before kissing her on the cheek. Sirius then walked off towards Rory, disregarding seat arrangements, completely oblivious to the thunderous applause the rest of the Seventh Years were giving him.

James laughter finally subsided in time for his name to be called. James walked up to Dumbledore and shook his hand. "Congratulations, James," the Headmaster told him, his eyes twinkling. "I knew I was right about you and Miss Evans," he added quietly before turning to address "Price, Kerry."

McGonagall handed James his diploma before also shaking his hand. "Control your friend," she advised him.

James laughed and replied, "I dunno if that's even possible now, Professor McGonagall."

"You're right."

Instead of returning to his seat, James snuck up to Lily from behind her. "Let's get out of here," he whispered into her ear before grabbing her hand and whisking her out of the Castle.

"James!" Lily exclaimed. "We can't leave now!"

"Why not?" James asked, practically running now.

"There's a ceremony going on! We're the Head Boy and Head Girl! We can't just leave!"

"Lils," James said, his running ceased as they had reached his destination: the old birch tree by the lake. He motioned to her diploma. "You have a piece of parchment in your hand that says that none of those teachers in there can yell at you anymore."

"It just says that we have completed our education at Hogwarts, James, not that we can run amuck and do anything we please."

"Doesn't it, though?" he asked. "We're done. There's nothing they can do to stop us. We're not their students anymore."

"I guess that's true," Lily agreed, warming up to the idea. Suddenly, her eyes filled with excitement. "Merlin!" she shrieked.

"No, my name is James," he told her.

"James!" she said, nudging him in the arm. "We graduated!"

"Yes, we did," he replied amusedly.

Lily squealed and then engulfed James in a hug and kissed him.

"I can't believe it," she breathed as she broke the kiss. "We graduated. We are graduates," she said, testing the way it sounded on her lips.

"Lily," James said, guiding her over to the tree.

"James, do you remember when I pushed you into the lake?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes," he said. "And our first kiss was here too, can you recall that one?"

"Like I could forget," she replied.

"I am a pretty decent snogger, aren't I?" he asked cockily.

Lily rolled her eyes at him.

"What do you have to tell me, James? Is this about Sirius's gift?" she asked.

"Sirius's gift?" James asked, perplexed.

"He wanted to get you a graduation gift. Apparently, what you want more than anything else is for me to jump out of a cake for you. I decided to humor him for a while, but when I saw the outfit--"

James exploded with laughter. Eventually, he calmed down. "That's not why we're here," James said, taking a deep breath and looking into her emerald green eyes. "Lily," he started earnestly.

"James," she replied, matching his tone.

" I love you--more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. You are everything to me and have been for the past seven years of my life. You are so kind and funny and smart and sexy, but it's more than just that. It's you. It's how your hair smells like lavender or that you wear my shirts to go to sleep. It's that you can't concentrate on your books when I'm looking at you, and I can't seem to be able to stop looking at you. No one has ever made me feel like you do-- no one's ever even been worth comparison. I get fidgety if I haven't seen you in at least twenty minutes and even more anxious when I actually see your face, or hear your laugh, or kiss your lips. I can't exist if you're not with me. It's like I was made just to be hopelessly in love with you. That's my only purpose, the only thing I can do perfectly; it's the only thing I want to do with my life. I just want to love you." He reached into his pocket. "Here," he said, offering her the object clenched in his hand.

Lily gazed at the silver object and gasped. "James! That's the butterfly hair clip I lost on the night of the Ball," she said, picking it up and examining it.

"I know. I went back that night to go find it. I needed to make sure that that night was real. That our kiss was real. That you and I together was real, and that you, Lily Evans, the woman I love more than Hogwarts, or Quidditch, or magic, or even Sirius, was real."

Lily beamed at him, her fingers still around the clip, feeling the sparkles and texture of it. Then, her eyes widened and she looked down. Clasped to the clip was a silver ring with a huge princess-cut diamond in the center of it with smaller diamonds encrusted around the band.

"James, what is that?" Lily breathed.

James removed the ring from the clip and held it up to her, getting down on one knee. "Lily Evans," he asked slowly, never tearing his eyes away from her own. "Will you marry me?"

Lily blinked down at him, lost for words. Slowly, she seemed to regain control of her basic motor functions. "Are you serious?" she asked him.

"As Mr. Black himself," James replied softly.

Lily squealed and then flung herself at James, knocking him to the ground. She kissed him fervently. Gasping, she broke away and began to get up. "You know," she told him in a breathless voice. "I'm not going to let you use Sirius puns once we're married."

"Once we're—" James repeated to himself. "Does that mean you're saying yes?" he asked her, rising to his feet suddenly.

"Yes," she answered.

James let out a yell of triumph and then grabbed Lily and spun her around in her circles. They were both laughing when he put her down. "I love you, James Potter," she told him.

"Oh, Lily, I love you too," he replied as he happily slipped the ring onto her left ring finger. James leaned in to kiss her.

"Oi, break it up! Sirius shouted as he, Rory, Remus, Sarah, and Peter walked towards them.

James smiled at Lily apologetically before intertwining her hand in his as they awaited their friends together.

"We were looking everywhere for you, mate, and then we realized that you were you, so you'd be off with Evans."

"Nice thinking, Sirius," Lily replied, laughing. "Only, it's not going to be Evans for much longer. You might have to start calling me Lily."

"Or he could just call you Potter," James suggested, winking at her.

"What?" Rory shrieked.

"James and I are engaged!" Lily squealed in response.

"About bloody time," Sirius muttered. "He's been bugging his mum to give him the Potter engagement ring since we were eleven."

His voice, however, was drowned out by Rory and Sarah's screeching.

After the excitement, hugging, and congratulating finally died down, James wrapped his arms around Lily's waist.

"I can't believe it's all finally over," Lily said, addressing all of her friends before glancing up at James and smiling at him.

"It's not over, Lily," he told her. "It's just the beginning."

The group stared out across the lake, letting that information sink in.

"You know," Sirius said, interrupting their thoughts. "It's when you say stuff like that, James, that people question your sexual preference. You just act like such a girl sometimes. Sorry, Evans, you're the one that's gotta marry him."

James kissed Lily quickly before shooting his best friend a glare. "Shut up, Sirius."

A/N: that's the end! i hope you enjoyed this story! it was a very personal story, near and dear to my heart. happy tears were shed when i finally finished it (mixed in with some bittersweet ones, as well.) thank you so much for reading my story. i hope i was able to entertain you, at least for a little while!

love,

molly


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